Moms and Cannabis - How Chardonnay Moms Are Moving Towards Consuming Cannabis

Most people know of this plant for its psychoactive effects. But throughout history, humans have used hemp for its fibers to create rope and other building materials, such as food and medicine, and for its use in religious rites.

In other words, it has quite a lot to offer.

Why then, has the use of such a versatile plant been condemned and made illegal by so many cultures around the world?

But more importantly, why is the taboo of cannabis use slowly fading?

And why is there still such a prominent stigma surrounding the use of cannabis, especially among moms who smoke weed?

In fact, while only 22% of individuals believe drinking alcohol is morally unacceptable, a surprising 35% are against the use of marijuana as morally acceptable.

In the following article, we examine the rise in the use of cannabis products, despite the outdated taboos, specifically among “Chardonnay moms” who are now turning into “cannabis moms.”

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Read Also: What Is Cannabis: All About Its Compounds And Effects

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The Cannabis Taboo

In 1930, the U.S. government established the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. By 1931, 29 states had outlawed the use of cannabis.

Nineteen years later, in 1950, the FBN established mandatory minimum sentencing for both the use and possession of marijuana.

By the 1990s, despite the criminal aspects of marijuana, the use of cannabis products increased substantially in the U.S. and abroad.

However, there’s still a high level of condemnation of mothers for consuming cannabis products.

Unfortunately, this trepidation surrounding moms who prefer cannabis over alcohol is often due to simple misconceptions and stereotypes.

Why Do Mothers Drink Wine and Smoke Weed?

A “wine mom” or “Chardonnay mom” refers to a mother who enjoys casually having a drink at the end of the day to unwind, relieve stress, and relax.

In the United States, 44% of adults are regular drinkers who consume at least one alcoholic beverage per week. In other words, nearly half of the adult population consumes alcohol.

The reason moms often enjoy having a drink, or more recently, smoking weed, at the end of the day is to relax and help them unwind from a day’s worth of physical or emotional labor.

Therefore, like having a glass of wine or alcoholic beverage to unwind at the end of the day, you would think that smoking a joint or eating an edible after the kids are in bed would be just as acceptable.

Unfortunately, according to our research, this isn’t the case at all!

Although 78% of individuals say consuming alcohol is morally acceptable, only about 65% agree consuming cannabis is acceptable. And what’s worse, 68% of moms have admitted to feeling discriminated against for their use and consumption of marijuana.

The Rise of Moms Who Smoke Weed

In recent years, there’s been a lot more news coverage and information being made available about using cannabis.

In turn, we’re seeing an increase in moms who prefer cannabis over alcohol and parents who regularly use pot instead of drinking alcohol at the end of the day. While 64% of moms consumed cannabis before having children, another 9% started using cannabis afterwards, and there are many good reasons for this.

For instance, it offers many natural health benefits. It is a proven stress reliever; it can decrease anxiety, it can increase libido, help reduce pain, and using it won’t cause a hangover the same way as drinking, which is something any mom can enjoy!

However, there’s still a great deal of stigmatization for mothers who indulge in using marijuana, leaving us to wonder; why is alcohol use accepted, but marijuana use still condemned as morally unacceptable among the majority of adults?

Unfortunately, the overall public still doesn’t equate the work of a stay-at-home mom with the work of the average professional.

This sadly devalues motherhood, leading many to believe that stay-at-home moms who smoke pot are simply lazy, strung out, and that they don’t contribute very much to society as a whole.

However, the truth is that stay-at-home moms and working moms need an outlet for their stress and anxiety just as much as any other type of working professional.

That said, it’s our firm belief that it’s never ok to shame or stigmatize mothers, or any other individuals for using marijuana, especially when alcohol is so widely accepted as a stress-reliever.

Activists for Moms Who Smoke Weed

The unjust prejudice of moms who prefer cannabis over alcohol has fortunately led to a rise of ambitious activists around the world who’ve said out to crush the stigma.

Marie Myung-Ok Lee is one sterling example of a woman who is paving the way to acceptance for moms who smoke weed.

Lee is both a successful novelist and professor at Columbia University, however, being the mother of a severely autistic child, she has recently turned to marijuana for help.

After years of dealing with unsuccessful attempts to control her son’s autism, doctors suggested her child start taking a controversial prescription drug, often referred to as a “chemical lobotomy.”

Rather than subscribing her son to such a controversial treatment, Lee signed him up as the youngest medical patient to undergo cannabis treatment in the state of Rhode Island.

You can learn more about Lee’s story and why she has become such an ambitious advocate for the use of marijuana in her 2009 essay “Why I Give My Nine-Year-Old Pot”

Lee, of course, is only one example of women who know and understand that marijuana isn’t the deadly narcotic that it’s often perceived to be.

Today, there are literally thousands of moms who smoke pot and continue to advocate for the use of medicinal marijuana for themselves and others around the world!

Types of Cannabis Products and Their Effects

In the past, most people only ever heard of smoking cannabis or possibly consuming the product in the form of “special brownies.”

Today, with the rise in consumption of cannabis, legalization, and awareness, it is available in many different forms, such as flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals, sublingual, and more, all of which can produce similar yet other mental states.

According to MissGrass.com, 82% of moms smoke cannabis flower, 71% of moms vape their weed, 64% eat edibles, 43% use topical cannabis products, and another 37% use sublingually.

Smoking flower is the most common and primary method of using this product.

During inhalation, the user’s body undergoes an almost instant respiratory reaction.

THC/CBD is in the blood within seconds, delivered to the brain, and the psychoactive effects are felt almost instantaneously. However, the impact of smoking flower is more short-lived than vaping concentrates or eating edibles.

Concentrates come in the form of hashish, oils and distillates, which typically offer considerably higher levels of THC/CBD.

Although you can smoke concentrates, they are most often consumed by using a vaporizer, providing near-instant effects. The effects of concentrates are generally more potent and more intense, but they won’t last any longer than when using flower.

Edibles come in all sorts of forms, including brownies, cookies, gummies, sodas, and more.

Once an edible is consumed, the effects can take anywhere between 30 minutes to and up to 2 hours to kick in.

That said, the effects of edibles can last anywhere between 2 or 3 hours to 8 to 12 hours, depending on the dosage.

Lastly, sublinguals are any type of cannabis products designed to be administered to the mucosal membranes located under the tongue. This is often the fastest method of administering THC/CBD to an individual.

Most often, sublinguals are CBD tinctures, used to treat stress, anxiety and mild panic attacks.

Between the many methods of administration, the effects of stress relief and relaxation are very similar to sipping on a glass of wine.

However, just like drinking alcohol, there are many safety concerns and precautions that you should take.

How to Safely Use Cannabis As a Parent

Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with using cannabis to relieve pain, stress, or anxiety at the end of the day, there are still several things moms should keep in mind to ensure they’re using it safely.

Keeping Cannabis Out of Reach

You wouldn’t leave alcohol where your children can easily reach it, would you?

The same thing goes when using cannabis.

Therefore, if you’re part of the growing population for moms who prefer cannabis over alcohol, you should always keep it out of reach of children.

This is especially important when you have young children who don’t understand how it will affect them.

But even for parents of older teenagers, it’s still important to store cannabis where they won’t be able to find and use it.

Only Use Cannabis Outside of the Presence of Children

Just like alcohol, you should never consume cannabis products in the presence of children.

Not only may this influence them in some ways, but it can also impair your ability to care for them properly.

That’s why we recommend only using cannabis after the kids are in bed. Or better yet, you should only use cannabis when the kids are not at home.

You should also note that cannabis impairs your ability to drive.

Therefore, if you plan on driving anywhere, with or without your children, it’s best to avoid using it.

Don’t Overdo It

Like with anything in life, moderation is key.

While there’s nothing wrong with occasionally use to relax and unwind, when you start using it in higher volumes, at higher potencies, or too frequently, it quickly becomes a problem.

Although it’s practically impossible to overdose on cannabis, consuming too much can lead to increased anxiety, heart palpitations, and psychosis.

One common problem with edibles, for instance, is that a user will take a certain dosage but then won’t feel the effects right away due to the time it takes for your body to process the THC/CBD.

This often leads the individual to take another dosage too soon, which essentially gets them “too high” and causes a range of unwanted psychological effects that can last anywhere between 4 to 8 hours.

Therefore, if you plan on using cannabis, whether medically or recreationally, it’s crucial to only consume in moderation.

Motherhood and Cannabis

Although in the past, the use of marijuana and other cannabis products was often considered a significant taboo in suburban society, today, things have drastically changed.

In fact, with countries like Canada, Georgia, South Africa, Uruguay, and about sixteen U.S. states passing legislation to legalize it, the adoption and use of recreational cannabis are now more popular than ever before, especially among moms who prefer cannabis over alcohol.

That being said, the key to safely using cannabis products, especially as a mother or caregiver, is balance, mindfulness, and, more importantly, moderation.

When used appropriately, marijuana products can be highly effective pain and stress relievers while also offering other health benefits, such as treating depression, improving sleep, increasing appetite, weight loss, and more.

Not to mention that, unlike consuming alcohol to relax at the end of the day, there’s no hangover associated with using cannabis for the same reason, which is something any mom can get on board with!