Written By: Jana with Sugar Leaf Photo Company
Image Credits: Jana with Sugar Leaf Photo Company and Gavin Smith
I raise happy, healthy kids, run a small business, have a strong relationship with my partner, and I consume cannabis. This was not always my life. I was a single parent for a brief time. Before meeting my partner, I was struggling to find the balance of being a twenty-one-year-old parent and being a twenty-one-year-old woman who needed to find herself. I thought once you become a parent the rest of you did not matter. The sole focus of my life was my son. I lost who I was and fell into a depression that I am just now leaving behind. I was not my best self during that time. I truly was not the best parent I could be either. Cannabis helped bring me back and I’m not going anywhere this time.
Parenthood is the most fulfilling part of my life. It is also the hardest. All children need parents that lead by example. My words mean nothing if my actions do not match them. Teaching my children to be hardworking and loyal are important things. I think teaching them to be honest, unafraid to ask for help, inquisitive, kind to everyone, and to march to their own beat is more important. My untreated depression and anxiety took those things away from me. I was not the example that my children needed. I was hiding the best parts of myself because my anxiety said they were not worth sharing. Without a constant anxiety ache In my stomach, I belly laugh with my kids more. The depression that used to make me hide in my room does not hit as hard. Sure, I still hide in my room but its so I can smoke a joint, not get away from my life.
The “pot smoking mom” is a label I never thought I would have. I smoked off and on through my teen years and young adulthood. Cannabis was not a daily part of my life until after my second child was born and I experienced postpartum depression. Now, I cannot imagine my life without cannabis. Consuming the plant in several forms helps reduce my anxiety, increase my appetite, improve my focus, and boost my mood.
My partner is who helped me begin my cannabis journey. He consumed long before we met and was just starting his own cannabis business, growTech. Nick taught me that the cannabis plant is medicine and has millions of benefits. This was the opposite of how I was raised. Nick’s dad was open about his cannabis use while I heard the typical, “pot makes you lazy”, “it’s a gateway drug”, “you’ll never a get a good job”, propaganda. I am happy to say that that is not true at all, and productive stoners kick ass. Both my partner and I work in the Cannabis Industry. Nick designs and builds cultivation facilities. I am a photographer with many clients who are in the cannabis community. It is cool knowing that we are setting good examples of work ethic for our children and breaking down negative stigmas.
Being a good parent is my priority in life. Not only is their physical and mental well-being important, the strength of our relationship is also. For us to have a strong bond, I need to be honest with them about my own life habits. We discuss cannabis in our house like we discuss what movie to watch or which groceries to add to the list. Cannabis isn’t an everyday topic but it is normal here. Our kids see us smoke, take tinctures when our heads hurt, and rub infused lotion on our old parent bodies. The world has normalized consuming alcohol around children, it is time we normalize that for cannabis users.
To normalize cannabis, we need to discuss cannabis. This plant should be showcased in commercials, talked about with coworkers, and brought up in conversation with our doctors as an option for medical treatment.
Cannabis has replaced my own need of pharmaceuticals to treat my anxiety and depression. That also means I have avoided experiencing the negative side effects of these medicines. I want what I put in my body to come from the earth as much as possible. Western medicine is great, but I feel should be considered second to natural options. This applies to my kids also. They know that honey treats a sore throat as well something from the drugstore. They know that cannabis is a medicine too. We would discuss cannabis as treatment if our kids were to ever need medical care just as we would discuss the options of western medicine. We have discussed the “high” with the kids and have equated it to drinking alcohol. They consider it to be a normal thing for parents and people to do. We drink coffee in the morning, and we like it with a little THC on the side. Do not worry, kids get breakfast first.
While we are happy with our choice to be open about our cannabis use with our kids, there are social negatives that come with it. A lot of parent’s smoke weed to deal with being parents. Yet, we can’t discuss the new strain we just tried like we can the new craft beer that just dropped. I know that some parents choose to avoid relationships with others who consume cannabis. I respect their choice. It used to bother me, but I have a great family and group of friends who choose me and my cannabis smoke. I do worry about how it will affect my kids as they get older. Therefore, I work hard to make it normal and accepted by the time they are old enough to choose to consume or not. Some people will only ever view me as a stoner. I am a stoner. My kids know that I am a rad parent, hard worker, happy crier, and a proud stoner. Their opinion is the only one that matters, anyway.
