by Floydian
There are many milestones one encounters in life when heading down the road to becoming a daily user of marijuana. The first time you ever smoked. That first trip to the head shop to buy your own pipe. Which would inevitably be followed by the first time your parent’s found your pipe; Who could have imagined your mom could have penetrated the impregnable fortress of the back of your underwear drawer, right?
The only thing worse than mom and dad finding your Zig Zags is the first time your parent’s found your stash. That’s the “Oh, shit!” moment. You’re thinking, “Oh, shit! I’m, so busted!” Your parents are thinking, “Oh, shit! Do I still have the record player and that Dark Side of the Moon album?”
Outwardly, they must punish you and explain that drugs are bad, have no positive role in society, and will be a dead end in your life. But on the inside, they are secretly waiting for your next sleepover at a friend’s house so they can re-live their glory days, thanks to your freshly confiscated grass. In reality, the legal status of marijuana is the only thing stopping a majority of parents out there from enjoying it in their free time.
But what about when you’re an adult and have kids of your own? Now how do your feelings change about marijuana use? I’ve been a daily user of marijuana for years and years, but when I think about my own child using marijuana, I’m not sure how I feel. I don’t have any children of my own, but I hope to one day.
It’s hard to imagine getting mad at them for using pot, but it’s also hard to imagine not caring about it either. In college, I seemed to always be the more responsible person in my group of friends. Meaning I never lost my license or life due to driving under the influence of alcohol, and was never arrested or put in jail. But I definitely wasn’t a perfect student by any means. I think at that time I let pot influence my life more than I do now.
I feel that as my own personal and work responsibilities became greater, I was forced to focus more on that and less on marijuana. But everyone needs a way to relax at the end of the day, and, more often than not, a hot vaporizer and some tasty herb is my preferred method. Would that all change if I have little ones running around the house?
I still remember the first time I ever smoked with a parent. It was my girlfriend’s mom in college. She had been divorced from her father for many years at that point. My girlfriend and I were watching a movie with her mom, and she got up to go get a beer. When she came back to the couch, she sat down and pulled out this little black, metal pipe and just started smoking. My girlfriend and I looked at each other and our eyes just got huge, like, what is happening??
“Hey, you guys want some,” her mom asks.
“Uh, sure, mom,” she replies.
Then we all just sat around and keep watching the movie, as if nothing ever happened. In fact, I don’t think it was ever really mentioned again, nor did it happen again. It was so weird, yet something about how casual the whole situation was made it no big deal at all.
It’s hard for me to imagine being so cavalier with marijuana use around my own kids. What would I do if my kids asked me about it or asked if I ever used it? I wouldn’t want to give them the impression that there are no possible negative effects, but I also wouldn’t want them to think there are no positive aspects either.
Now that one of my college stoner buds has a mother dying of pancreatic cancer, he has tried to get her to use marijuana to ease her pain and increase her appetite as she continues to lose weight. For months she fought him on it, because of a bad experience she had with it when she was 14. Finally after trying it, her pain was not as intense, she had an appetite again, and she was able to eat more than she had in months. It was the first time he had ever used marijuana with his parents and, thanks to the positive results she experienced, it won’t be the last.
My own parents know of my marijuana use, and while they don’t approve or agree with it, they don’t hate on me too much for it either. I end up the butt of stoner jokes from time to time, but I can deal with that. Still I wonder what it will be like when I smell that familiar scent coming from my kid’s room one day. What will I say to them?
One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to confiscate their bag so I can compare it to mine and make sure I’m still getting the best shit it town.
Those with an interest in combustible culture may want to hit SG’s 420 Group. Come on in and roll up a fattie!
