Let’s face it. Parenting is stressful. Luckily, cannabis can help. Cannabis consumption, however, can also cause issues for parents, so there is much to consider. Questions like “will cannabis make me a bad parent,” and “how do I talk to my kids about cannabis” are all too common with parents today. This is especially true as more states legalize despite the federal government holding true to prohibition. If you live in Texas, you can get a medical cannabis card in order to cope with the stress and anxiety brought on by your daily activities. If you are a parent who utilizes cannabis medicinally or recreationally or a parent that is considering using cannabis, here are a few things you should consider.

Time and Place

There is a time and place for everything. I think this is one of the most important things my parents taught me, and it applies wholeheartedly to cannabis and parenting. There is a time and place for consuming cannabis as a parent, and that time and place will vary depending on your specific situation. How you choose to consume will also be a significant factor in when and where it is appropriate. Also, obtaining your medical marijuana card is only another layer of protection for you legally as well as for your own health with the types of products you can obtain. One can easily get a medical marijuana card online in this day and age.

There are many ways you can consume cannabis nowadays. If you consume for medicinal purposes, perhaps using transdermal, topical, or infused edible products will be the most convenient and efficient way to consume. Utilizing this method, you can consume at just about any time and in any place. If you prefer an inhalation method, vaping may be a great alternative to smoking. Unlike smoking, vaping does not put off as strong of an odor, nor does the smell stick to clothing like it does when smoking cannabis.

If the odor isn’t an issue, and you have a private place away from the kids to consume, as long as you consume responsibly, the world is yours! For some parents, a single 10 mg infused edible will produce potent effects. For others, it may take 100+mg before effects are felt. This is why it is vital that you know your tolerance so that you do not overdo it in the line of active parenting duty!

Be Honest and Open the Dialogue

The most significant piece of advice that I could offer any parent when it comes to cannabis is, to be honest. Be honest about the plant, your consumption, and never lie to your kids about cannabis. Education surrounding cannabis starts at home, and you want your children to know the truth about this plant. Be honest with your children about the medical benefits of cannabis.

Tell them the truth about the dangers of consuming at a young age. Always call the plant by its scientific name cannabis and not by slang terms such as weed, pot, or marijuana. Advise your children that there is a time and place for cannabis. Tell them the truth about why you choose to consume cannabis, be it for its medical benefits or simply because it is a safer alternative to other recreational choices. No matter what though, always be truthful with your kids about cannabis.

Jessie Gill, a hospice nurse, mother, patient, cannabis activist, and founder of Marijuana Mommy, put it best in an interview with Leafly.

“It’s extremely important to educate our kids about cannabis at home because they are not receiving accurate information at school. Our children are our future. Teaching them the real benefits and the real risks of cannabis is how we change the stigma.”

Cannabis Consumption Doesn’t Make You a Bad Parent

Repeat after me. Consuming cannabis does not make you a bad parent. In fact, in many ways, it can make you a better parent if consumed responsibly. For many parents, cannabis allows them to be more creative and imaginative with their children. For others, it allows them to destress enough to be present in the moment with their children and not bound up with anxiety about all the stresses that life presents. Sometimes a parents’ cannabis consumption isn’t just a choice. It is a matter of life and death.

Whether you utilize cannabis to relax or if you utilize it for the medicinal benefits that it offers, it in no way makes you a bad parent. For many parents that choose to use cannabis for its medicinal attributes they find that while it may cause psychoactive effects, it is never a debilitating or intoxicating as the pharmaceuticals they were previously prescribed.

Let Us Not Forget About Parents of CannaKids

For some parents though, cannabis and parenting have nothing to do with their own personal consumption but rather their choice to choose cannabis for their children’s medical ailments typically after traditional pharmaceuticals have failed. For these parents, it is much different than others on various levels. Despite registering their children as legal, medical patients, they often face stigma for allowing their children to utilize cannabis legally to find relief.

However, what most people who judge have never had to experience is watching their child suffer day in and day out in a pharmaceutical haze without them finding any relief. In this situation, I would hope that you would try anything, especially a natural growing plant, to provide them with comfort. This is precisely what thousands of parents have done with much success.

So, while it should go without saying, never criticize another parent because of their cannabis consumption or their choice to choose a natural plant so their children can find a higher quality of life.