So I don’t know, I have never nor will I ever have children. I genuinely hope that my uterus disappears in a freak magic accident and I never have to deal with the fear of pregnancy or creating a small person ever again. However, for all of you lovely people who have had or want to have babies, do you need to give up smoking? Nah, not really. There is actually an entire online community of parent stoners. For many it’s considered a healthier and more appropriate alternative to drinking, it’s an easy way to maintain calm and reduce stress without losing control, and lots of parents keep themselves sane by having a little smoke now and then. Obviously, we are talking about using drugs so you probably don’t want to sit and smoke around your small children. You also don’t want to get blazed while looking after a baby as I hear they are quite fragile. So how can you keep smoking weed but still be a good parent? I looked around the internet to find out and here’s what all the people said.
Weed Vs. Booze
Because weed is still illegal in so many parts of the world it is likely that people look down on parents smoking weed more than parents getting drunk. Stoner stereotypes are unfocused, uncaring and definitely not fit to be looking after children. This largely is linked to the image of having a few tokes and being completely paralytic. However, the reality of it is that many people use cannabis medicinally and lightly recreationally to deal with the stress of day to day life. In fact, there are few people that experience more constant anxiety than new mothers and fathers. You’ve just made this small creature that cannot look after itself, keeps trying to choke on everything, and as soon as it can walk it’s making a beeline for every plug socket and sharp corner in the vicinity. So why would a toke after bedtime be a better idea than a glass of wine?
Studies show that a lot of pandemic parents swapped the wine glass for the vape to deal with the additional stress. Though it is tricky to compare weed to alcohol, because so many more studies exist on the effects of booze, the overall effect of cannabis is shown to be better. It is also generally less harmful to body and family life than alcohol with a lower addiction rate. Alcohol is generally deemed to be more dangerous and will have a greater impact on a parent’s physical health. Reducing your body’s ability to function is definitely going to make raising children a good bit trickier. Alcoholism is also far more prevalent than cannabis addiction and those in a stressful or anxious position are more likely to start using alcohol as a crutch rather than as a way to relax.
What are the other positive effects of cannabis for parents?
There are a number of reasons that weed is so great for new and experienced parents. During the early stages cannabis can promote healthy and rejuvenating sleep. Although you may need to take turns to ensure you don’t both sleep through the baby actually needing something. A lack of rest can be a serious issue for new parents which can lead to increased stress and depression, making it harder to look after your tiny person. Cannabis is also famously used to help treat stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues that may become an issue when you have kids. If you are trying to work, look after children, and keep your partnership alive you can easily end up with too many balls in the air. Having a smoke, vape, nibble or whatever in the evening can actually allow you to put everything down for a little while and get ready to pick them all back up in the morning. Excessive stress can lead to all sorts of health issues and premature ageing which isn’t going to make life easier for anyone.
Do Many Parents Smoke Weed?
You would be surprised how much the answer is yes. Especially in areas where cannabis is legal, Canada for example. There are so many testimonies from Canadian parents swearing by the use of cannabis, especially in comparison to other coping methods. For many of these parents it is so normal amongst their friends and other parents their age that they don’t think twice about using their vapes like most would have a glass of wine. During the pandemic there was a 52% increase of parents using cannabis and 57% of parents asked had decreased or given up drinking in exchange for smoking weed. This attitude is definitely a trend that has been increasing over the last year and shows signs of becoming the norm in legal areas.
How To Be Responsible
A lot of people are probably concerned about smoking with kids, obviously it’s not a good idea to get completely wasted if you are looking after children. The easiest way to be responsible is to keep smoking till after bedtime. This one is kind of common sense because you can’t really get into the relaxation while you’re still trying to pull a screaming toddler into their pjs. If you are a two parent household then probably don’t get stoned together, just in case there is an emergency. If you are a one parent household then you might want to reserve smoking for nights when you can have someone else look after them. Keep your weed somewhere that your kids can’t get it because they are stupid and will eat anything then that’s an embarrassing hospital visit. A few other obvious ones suggested by stoner parents on the web are keep the house clean, do not drive while high, and stay good with your neighbours. Be safe and be respectful, just like you hopefully would with alcohol.
Hopefully this gave you a good idea about how to be the best stoner parent you can be. Stay safe, look after your babies and try not to completely lose your mind.
Written by Tasha Porritt
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