Should Parents Use Cannabis In Front Of Their Kids?

Is it Okay for Parents to Smoke Pot in Front of Their Children?

Should You Use Marijuana In Front Of Your Kids? from CannabisNet on Vimeo.

Now here we have a hornet’s nest, some would be totally ok with it and others would want to burn you at the stake. But we should ask these questions first? Would you drink a beer or a glass of wine in front of your kids, or would you smoke a cigarette in front of them? Go even further- in today’s world with all the added stuff to food over the counter or in fast food joints and the ever- increasing facts about the harm sugar brings; do you allow your kids to drink sodas and have donuts or cereal for breakfast?

Is this not rather a matter of responsible parenting? If you can’t do something openly in front of your kids, you should not do it at all. Now before everyone thinks this is super liberal and the child should be put under “child protection” or whatever, let us think about this a moment.

Since legalization, awareness of cannabis is sparked. Maybe it is wise to get informed and with this, I do not proclaim that weed is good for young kids still in their development stage if not for medicinal purposes, just as alcohol or tobacco will not be good for any child. But if they should ask why you are drinking or smoking and if they can have some too, you most certainly would say no. In the beginning they might just accept that without any further qualms, but as they grow older they might want to know why. By just prohibiting them and not explaining why, the majority will anyways explore, either alone or with their friends.

In my opinion an open relationship with your kids is the way to go. This does not mean they are free to do what they want too, it means they are inclined to know why they can or can’t do something. It means to answer what they ask with just the correct amount of information, not too little, not too much, no over-kill.

A "Lack of Knowledge" destroys and opinions are then formed on the opinions of others who also got that from opinion from others. It becomes an endless cycle of disinformation.

I suppose every person believes he or she lives in “new” times with advanced growth since the times their parents were young, but I think it is safe to say that today with information available with the touch of a keypad; no one should just follow the mainstream. Critical thinking should always be a priority to teach your children. If you don’t know it by know, information gathered from the media is not necessarily true. In fact, most is propaganda and the message is there to manipulate the listener rather than educate.

SMOKE A JOINT

So what would happen if you smoke a joint in front of your kid? Would that kid immediately be drawn to smoking weed later on? I agree if the parent is someone who can’t control his intake and smokes like a tree all day long and is always out of it, it would not be agreeable, just as it would not be when you get sloshed all day long.

Remember, kids specifically learn by example. Your actions speak so much louder than your words. The emphasis should be on Responsibility. But if you are a person under a lot of stress or suffer from anxiety, would it not be better to smoke some weed, rather than drink a couple of beers. Weed doesn’t let you lose your mind or change you into a zombie, but it would help you to cope with your stress and make it easier on parenting. You would be able to handle your children better and not turn into an asshole. Weed makes you peaceful and relaxed and stressful situations are dealt with very differently. Some might argue it makes you pay “less attention”, however with all the cannabis parents I have interviewed over the years, the opposite is true. You’re not tripping on Mescaline for god sake!

It can’t be stressed more though- moderation is the key here. And if you educate your children later on sex, drugs and booze, keep the facts straight. Tell them that smoking at a too young age is not good for the developing brain and if they really want to smoke a joint, they should keep it moderate (obviously, when they are getting the shit by themselves already, I’m talking about the Teen crowd). Teach them that just as with drinking alcohol, driving is not good and if they want to experiment, you should guide them.

BOYS AND CANNABIS

A responsible parent going to work every day will not light a joint before the day even started. He will also not drink a beer or a glass of wine at 8 in the morning. But after a long day of work, when all activities have been dealt with, then lighting-up is likely to release the stress of the day. By then, if you have young kids, they normally are bathed and tugged in ready for some Zs.

At the end of the day it is the choice of each parent how they raise their children. It is just good to remember that whatever is done in the dark or behind closed doors, could be seen as something you are ashamed of. Cannabis is not a villainous drug as we were lead to believe, it’s time we get rid of the taboo and educate kids properly. It’s not like it’s going away any time soon.