Go ahead and conjure up what you think the average cannabis consumer looks like. What did you come up with? Young people wearing tie-dyed shirts and purple-tinted glasses? Older dudes wearing braids and a bandana?
If these ideas come to mind, you may want to visit a legal dispensary and see who shows up. If you step into a New York, Colorado, or even Michigan marijuana dispensary at any given time, you’re bound to see suits and ties, all age groups, and, yes, several soccer moms making their selections.
While many moms are using cannabis to unwind, relax, soothe pain, and even get more creative, most moms don’t talk about it. The stigma associated with cannabis and motherhood runs deep.
Why the stigma?
Just the mere mention of a mother using cannabis is enough to trigger judgment in most people:
How could she?!
Look at her getting high when she has a child!
She should be ashamed!
The question is, why are so many people inclined to feel marijuana and motherhood don’t mix?
Back in the day, marijuana consumption came along with shady dealings because it had to. As it goes, anything deemed as “illegal” tends to come along with some questionable characters who don’t mind being on the opposite side of the law. Not to mention, cannabis was always thought of as a way to get “high” with very little mention of anything therapeutic. BUT, those days are rapidly becoming stories of the past.
As of 2021, there are more states that have some sort of legal weed laws than those that don’t. In some places, it is just as acceptable to have cannabis to unwind as it is a glass or two of wine. Science is also getting involved, with new studies showing up daily on how that once-deemed-evil “drug” offers medicinal properties that sometimes act more effectively than common prescription medications.
Society is in the middle of a revolution—a green one—and moms are just as much involved as anyone else. Sadly, though, that shady stigma attached to cannabis still lingers.
How many moms use cannabis?
It should come as no surprise over half of the marijuana users are parents. The therapeutic qualities of cannabis are a true draw for mothers these days who are looking for safer ways to medicate than pharmaceuticals. So, even if the moms you know have never brought up the fact that they smoke a J before bed or rely on cannabis concentrates on bad days, chances are, you know a few that do.
Marijuana Can Be Used Responsibly As a Mother
Marijuana use has long been associated with getting toasted, tripping out, and losing all your common sense. In reality, cannabis use doesn’t have to look that way at all, and using cannabis can be done responsibly.
Consider this: Most people would think nothing of it if a mother had a glass of wine in the presence of her child. And, most people would be pretty upset if a mother drank a whole bottle in the same scenario. Cannabis can be a lot the same.
The availability of legal dispensaries means marijuana users have direct control over how much THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) they consume. Quick note, delta-9 THC is the intoxicating component in cannabis. Products are labeled with delta-9 THC potency. Some extracts and edibles have very little THC at all. This gives the user direct control over what they experience, including mothers.
If a mom is having a hard time sleeping, she can get a mild product to use just before bed. If a mother decides she wants a little THC to help encourage her appetite, she can get that. What naysayers of legal marijuana often don’t see is regulated cannabis opens the door for responsible cannabis use.
Of course, it goes without saying that using cannabis around your children or while solely providing their care is questionable; most mothers would never do that. Just as most mothers wouldn’t decide to drink alcohol while tending to a newborn alone or overseeing a child’s pool party.
Embracing Change Means Supporting Wellness Choices, Including Moms
From giving birth and losing sleep to facing fears and dealing with everyday stress, the job of Mom takes a lot out of you. The fact is, motherhood is challenging. Cannabis just happens to make some of those motherhood woes a little easier to bear.
While the rest of the world is taking advantage and speaking up about how cannabis helps with one issue or another, mothers can be more hesitant to step forward and raise their voices. Understandably so, but maybe that needs to change. Good moms use marijuana too, and the act of using marijuana does not define someone’s mothering skills.
