Are you debating with yourself about whether you should tell your kids you smoke weed or you're about to smoke it? Have your kids heard you talk about a nearby dispensary? Even with cannabis growing more and more legal as time goes by, we can't deny that it had a pretty controversial past. Even in some societies today, smoking weed or just talking about it in public is considered taboo and is shunned most of the time. So if you find it hard to sit down and have that talk with your kids, it's understandable. The thing is, no matter how challenging you think it is, we highly recommend that you tell your kids about it.

Telling your kid that you smoke weed can be pretty different from talking to them about cigarettes, alcohol, or safe sex; this is because non of the latter have been deemed illegal in the past. While you cannot legally buy alcohol or cigarettes until you're at the age of 21, it doesn't necessarily make it illegal. Cigarette and alcohol use is pretty normal in society, and the talk about these and safe sex is common and accepted. Most would even say it's necessary. Doesn't this mean you should add weed to the list of things you should talk to your child about? Yes, definitely.

The Importance of Letting Your Kids Know About Weed

As a parent, wouldn't you like to know about what your kids have been doing? It goes the same with your kids' curiosity about what you've been doing too. As a parent, you can't keep tabs on your children 24/7; you won't be able to know if someone might be trying to offer them some weed whenever they're not under your supervision. Being a cannabis smoker, you should be fully aware of the advantages and disadvantages of smoking it. The question is, does your child know? Are they aware of the laws or limitations that come with smoking weed? There's a chance that they don't.

Telling your kids about smoking weed is actually what a responsible parent would do, especially if you've experienced smoking it firsthand. There is nothing more dangerous than misinformation, regardless of the substance. Talking with your children about the advantages and disadvantages of smoking weed will keep them safe while educating them about its use.

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

When telling your kids that you smoke cannabis, you mustn't just stick with the good parts of using it. After all, too much of anything isn't good. You can let your children know about its history and what made cannabis use legal at present. Having this conversation with your kids while bringing up these advantages and disadvantages will make them understand cannabis more, stirring them away from false information.

Listed below are some of the benefits and risks of marijuana that you can explain to your children.

Benefits of Marijuana Use

• Reduces inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.)
• Relieves chronic pain (migraine, arthritis, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, etc.)
• Prevents seizures
• Used as an appetite stimulant
• Relieves symptoms of some mental health conditions (anxiety, PTSD, depression, etc.)
• Prevents nausea caused by chemotherapy
• Used to slow down tumor growth and fights certain types of cancers
• Relieves muscle spasms
• A safer alternative for opioids to relieve pain
• Used to treat glaucoma

Risks of Marijuana Use

• Lung damage may occur due to smoking.
• Can cause mild hallucinations (altered perceptions of reality)
• Can cause dry mouth
• Can cause distorted senses
• Can negatively affect mental health
• Rapid heart rate
• Can cause disorganized thinking
• Either causes hyperactivity or couch-lock

It's important to note that these effects may vary from person to person depending on several factors such as the strain of cannabis, genetics, tolerance, and more.

Practice What You Preach: Being a Responsible Pot-Parent

There will be times, or maybe it has already happened, when your children will hear negative connotations that come with cannabis and the people that use it. For years weed smokers have been stereotyped, plastered with labels such as being an addict and sometimes even being called dangerous, especially when cannabis wasn't yet legal or during the times there weren't many scientific studies about the plant itself.

Of course, being a parent and letting your child know you smoke weed while educating them about it won't be beneficial if you don't practice what you preach. You can spend hours telling your children about the laws, history, advantages, and disadvantages of cannabis use. Still, if you don't show them that you're responsible yourself, it just throws the whole thing out of the window.

How to Be a Responsible Pot Smoking Parent

• Don't drive while you're under the influence.
• Your children should always be your priority.
• Avoid using weed in front of your kids.
• Keep your cannabis products out of your children's reach.
• Only purchase weed from licensed dispensaries.
• Follow your state laws regarding cannabis use.
• Avoid taking cannabis if you're breastfeeding.
• Avoid getting couch-locked.
• Educate your children about the risks and benefits of cannabis.
• Do not glorify the use of cannabis.

Get Your Facts Straight

Before diving into the rabbit hole of information available on the internet and before educating your kids, be sure that you've got your facts straight, too. As time passes, more and more terms are associated with cannabis, such as different terms used for different products or different strains used for different reasons. With how fast-paced things seem to be with the acceptance and legalization of cannabis, there will be even more studies put out and more products being created. Some kids might think that you can only intake cannabis by smoking it but inform them about products such as edibles or oil. There's a high chance that once you sit down with your kids and talk with them about cannabis use, there will be some follow-up questions. You should make sure that you'll be able to answer their questions based on facts and not miseducating them about anything, and yes, that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Stock up on some knowledge yourself, and you might even be surprised by some of the new information you'll be gathering. Both of which will be beneficial for you and your children.

Why You Shouldn't Sugarcoat Cannabis

With weed culture being prevalent nowadays, you can see cannabis being used on TV shows and movies, magazines, music, and everywhere else. Not all of these sources portray cannabis correctly; it could give your children a different outlook on what weed can do to people that use it. Which makes it important to let them know they should not rely on just any source for information about cannabis. While the entertainment industry glamorizes its use, you must remember that this could provide false information to your kids. Take these into consideration when talking to your kids about weed use.

Reasons to Avoid Sugarcoating Cannabis Use:

• It gives your children a clear insight regarding the negatives and positives of using cannabis.
• Your children will grow up knowing how cannabis abuse could affect them.
• Sugarcoating it could cause your children to try cannabis while underage.
• They will know the truth behind cannabis use even with how the media portrays it.

Don't Rush It

You can never be too careful when talking about topics such as weed. You want to be sure that you're letting your children know about cannabis but don't take it to a whole new level by overwhelming them with too much information about it. Letting your kids know you smoke cannabis can bring them mixed thoughts about it; the topic may be new to them or clashing with their own beliefs. Let them know that you're not forcing them or telling them to use weed. Make sure they understand that you're not enabling them to be a future weed smoker. Be clear that you're educating them about it and the decision of if they'll be using cannabis in the future, once they're at the appropriate age, is solely up to them.

Again, you must be transparent with your children regarding your weed use. They'll find out one day regardless of how hard you try to hide it from them anyway. It's best to educate them while they're young so they won't have the stereotypical mindset that others see today. Educating them will also keep them safe from any danger associated with weed. Show your children that a person who smokes weed isn't necessarily considered an "addict," set an example for them so that they may grow up to be responsible and well-educated adults.