The Many Faces of Parental Cannabis Use

In my Meet a Stoner Mom series I’m introducing you to the many faces of maternal cannabis use. Big ups to these brave parents for submitting their answers! If you want a chance to be featured as a Meet a Stoner Mom, fill out the form at the end of this post. 

Hi, friends! For June, I’m introducing you to a mom who explains the relationship between moms and cannabis perfectly. So perfectly in fact, that I’m quoting it here, just in case you’re a skimmer:

For some moms, cannabis is therapeutic and actually helps them get through the day. It’s not a recreational high, it’s a support. For other moms, smoking cannabis might make them feel uncomfortable or unpleasant. Those moms shouldn’t be using cannabis and there’s probably a better treatment out there for them if they deal with anxiety or depression. But don’t assume that because you felt uncomfortable or scared after using cannabis that it has that effect on everyone. Medicine doesn’t work that way. Like with any substance, whether it be alcohol or food or cigarettes or gambling, the ability to monitor one’s usage is the key to being responsible with it. I wish that women would stop judging one another for doing the best they can as mothers. The cannabis debate is just another platform for women and moms to tear each other down.

See? I could not agree with Holly more here. Personalized medicine has been around since Hippocrates, and yet here we are in 2017, judging each other and pretending we know best about one another’s health.

Holly also explains how cannabis helped her in the early days of motherhood. As a mom who was cannabis free during those years, I can’t help but wish I could go back in time and see if cannabis could have helped me in those challenging times.

Happy Summer everyone, and enjoy the perspective from this eloquent stoner mom!

Meet Holly

How many kids do you have and what age range are they?

I have two girls, ages 9 and 5.

Why do you use cannabis?

I use cannabis to relieve the moodiness that accompanies my monthly cycle. I tend to have hormonal fluctuations around ovulation and the week before my period starts that sometimes results in anxiety or depression.

How open are you about cannabis with your kids?

I have not talked to my kids about cannabis, but probably will when they are older. We live in Wisconsin where it is still illegal and being a stoner carries a major stigma for moms. However, my closest friends and family do know I smoke.

What does your daily stoner schedule look like?

I tend to smoke for a couple of nights in a row after work. Occasionally on the weekend. Then I take a break of about one week where I keep my weed in the box and I don’t smoke. I find that if I smoke for too many days in a row, my tolerance becomes too high and I lose a bit of my “get up and go” state of mind.

How does cannabis affect your parenting?

I think it was really helpful when my girls were very young and I was working on meeting their needs constantly. I found motherhood to be very draining in terms of your ability to get into “flow” doing a project or take time to yourself for anything really. Pot allowed me to be around my kids and get in the flow with them instead of worrying about all of the things I wanted to be doing, like art and music and exercise. As they get older, I find I don’t need it as much because I have more time to myself for things like exercise and meditation.

What do you wish more people understood about cannabis use?

I wish more people understood that cannabis affects people in different ways. For some moms, cannabis is therapeutic and actually helps them get through the day. It’s not a recreational high, it’s a support. For other moms, smoking cannabis might make them feel uncomfortable or unpleasant. Those moms shouldn’t be using cannabis and there’s probably a better treatment out there for them if they deal with anxiety or depression. But don’t assume that because you felt uncomfortable or scared after using cannabis that it has that effect on everyone. Medicine doesn’t work that way. Like with any substance, whether it be alcohol or food or cigarettes or gambling, the ability to monitor one’s usage is the key to being responsible with it. I wish that women would stop judging one another for doing the best they can as mothers. The cannabis debate is just another platform for women and moms to tear each other down.

Share your stoner story! Submissions are open to stoner parents of all kinds; male, female, whatever’s clever. For a chance to share your stoner parent story with us, fill out the form below:

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