Explain cannabis to children as parents and smokers

In the words of Bob Dylan, times change, and parenting is like trying to build IKEA furniture without guidance. For many, the way cannabis was explained to us growing up is not the same way we would approach it with our children now. I am sure many parents of the satanic panic era will likely remember the fire and brimstone and the DARE-style evangelism “Weeds are a gateway to hard drugs.” Still, explaining cannabis to children can be a difficult conversation, and we want to do it without lying or looking hypocritical.

Fortunately for me, my family were reluctant smokers, which meant they weren’t exactly hiding it, but they didn’t advertise that they smoked more than one type. I thought the plants in the greenhouse were tomato plants – although it was always strange that we never had tomatoes.

They didn’t scare us with excessive talk about drugs, but my family conversations have been very open, honest, and direct. When I was 14 in 2002, I watched The Simpson’s and saw Homer Simpson get stoned. I remember asking if it really was like that – if you can see things through pot. My mother laughed and explained to me, no, it really wasn’t, and it just didn’t seem so interesting to a kid anymore.

“Weekend at Burnsie’s” The Simpsons Season 13, Episode 16 – Image via Fox Broadcasting Company

Explaining cannabis to children starts small

I am a mother of four, my oldest is ten years old, and I leaked out how to talk to her about the “drug”. When it comes to parenting, I’ve always been in the proverbial weed. We have a lot of small talk about drugs and what they are, and for me it’s a big deal. Drug talks are not a “one-off” thing. They are a collection of many small conversations that always add to the big picture. For our family, we have always approached the conversation from a scientific point of view.

Cannabis, like most / all drugs, changes your mind and state of mind. Caffeine itself is a drug that many people enjoy in controlled amounts. This does not mean that a child, teenager, or teen should consume it at all or in excess. I started with this example for my children and expanded it to include cannabis. Cannabis is a drug mom uses for pain and anxiety, just like mom uses caffeine to wake up in the morning, just as dad uses insulin for his diabetes. It should never be a crutch, but an aid to get through a long day well, pain-free and awake.

It’s so important to know that this type of conversation can be relationship changing. Telling your children that something is bad, immoral, or wrong for whatever reason and then letting them find out that you smoke is a great betrayal and portrays you as a hypocrite in their eyes. This can be be the first big conversation that shapes your child’s life and is a major hurdle for parents.

Legal cannabis is a win-win for parenting

Fortunately, cannabis legalization brought both a big win and a loophole for parents. It opens up a simpler conversation for us about how cannabis – like cigarettes or alcohol – is best left to adults because of the maturity of the brain. Much like conveying information about safe sex to children, teaching information about drugs is, in my opinion, key to their safety and enabling them to make their own informed decisions.

Now that cannabis is legal in Canada, we are fortunate enough to be able to change the stigma surrounding cannabis. These conversations with our children, in which we are open, honest and straightforward, ensure that times change.

One parent can never tell another exactly how to do something. Everything is different from child to child, from parent to parent and from family to family. If you have any tips, tricks, or stories about them, please come over to Cannabis Life Network on Instagram or ColdLipstick and let us know in the comments!