Parents smoking weed?

[buttercrinkle]

I'm in a mum group on Facebook and a poll was posted about whether we smoke weed or not, I ticked no, but was in the minority!

Most of them said they do smoke it regularly, when their children are in bed. They said there's nothing wrong with it and it's similar to having a drink.

I just don't think I'd be able to be on the ball if there was an emergency or something similar. What if your child needed to go to a&e? Although I suppose some people don't drive. I'd feel the same about getting drunk with DS asleep upstairs.

Am I being an unreasonable prude?

Its disgusting, it stinks, and more importantly is ILLEGAL! currently

Living next to a cannabis smoker can be seriously distressing, they feel they cant escape the disgusting stench. Probably 50% of our tenancy complaints against neighbours is related to the smell of weed, noise comes a close second.

It should also not be dismissed, the mental health impact weed has on young minds. Young men who start smoking in their late teens, early 20s, are more likely to suffer from mental health issues. My own brother absolutely wrecked his life due to it.

CloseYourEyesAndSee though I'm not a social worker I work closely with young people and often with social workers/schools etc and I would have to agree with you.

From what I've experienced personally, alcohol is far more destructive and causes more problems within the families I work with.

theres a big difference, you dont get secondhand drinking

You most certainly do. Living with an alcoholic puts your mental health in the gutter.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee
You’ve mis understood me.
I mean as it’s use is not as wide spread as alcohol. If it was legal, socially acceptable and more easily obtained the use would increase, we don’t know if would or wouldn’t increase referrals as a result.

Grow your own - fill your boots.

Buying it from someone who has not grown it themselves then you are directly contributing to the misery that is criminal gangs/county lines/human trafficking/general horrific shit show that is all part and parcel of the illegal drugs trade and should probably ask yourself if that’s really what you want to be a part of.

@Nidan2Sandan

Its disgusting, it stinks, and more importantly is ILLEGAL! currently

Living next to a cannabis smoker can be seriously distressing, they feel they cant escape the disgusting stench. Probably 50% of our tenancy complaints against neighbours is related to the smell of weed, noise comes a close second.

It should also not be dismissed, the mental health impact weed has on young minds. Young men who start smoking in their late teens, early 20s, are more likely to suffer from mental health issues. My own brother absolutely wrecked his life due to it.

yep my brother has utterly destroyed himself from weed and he hasn't smoked it in about 20 years but the mental decline and paranoia continue.

people think its fine because the effects are not instant, its a slow decline over years.

@Blossomtoes

theres a big difference, you dont get secondhand drinking

You most certainly do. Living with an alcoholic puts your mental health in the gutter.

but you can recover from that, it hasnt changed your brain, just like you can recover from a neglectful childhood.

You try it @VelvetChairGirl. Go on, give it a go and see if you’re still so blasé.

[quote EvilPea]@CloseYourEyesAndSee
You’ve mis understood me.
I mean as it’s use is not as wide spread as alcohol. If it was legal, socially acceptable and more easily obtained the use would increase, we don’t know if would or wouldn’t increase referrals as a result.[/quote]
I see
I'm not sure legality really makes a difference. It's so easy to get and anyone who smokes it knows where to get it. If you want it it's easy to find.

but you can recover from that, it hasnt changed your brain, just like you can recover from a neglectful childhood.

Living with abuse, neglect or addiction absolutely changes your brain.

I don't understand the weed is better than alcohol argument. They're not mutually exclusive. The weed smokers I know all drink as well. Like alcohol, it's not whether you use it, it's when and how much. In my quite rough area, it's very common place. You can't walk very far down the road without smelling it, and a lot of people smoke it pretty much throughout the day. Due to this it's acquired a reputation amongst non smokers as being a bit 'low rent' and people can be judgemental about parents who use it, and might avoid them. Though this is probably based in snobbery because of the 'common' association as much as concern about the harm, given they don't mind the wine o'clock parents.

@Blossomtoes

You try it *@VelvetChairGirl*. Go on, give it a go and see if you’re still so blasé.

Don't rise to it. She always turns up commenting absolute nonsense.

but you can recover from that, it hasnt changed your brain, just like you can recover from a neglectful childhood.

A neglectful childhood can leave deep scars which certainly change your brain. Living with an abusive parent caused me far more long term harm than smoking a bit of weed.

but you can recover from that, it hasnt changed your brain, just like you can recover from a neglectful childhood

Actually my neglectful early years left me with an incurable mental disorder that I just have to live with and monitor forevermore. It absolutely changed my brain, particularly the parts related to emotional regulation.

I live in the states where weed is legal. I know more ppl than not that smoke recreationally. They all have professional jobs and some have children My DP does, he microdoses to help with anxiety. He's smoking would not affect his ability to parent. I definitely think there's a different attitude to it here in the states since it's legal in most states now.

at the very least it sends a terrible message to them that it's ok

I think it is OK tbh, I think it's the law that needs to be changed. Lots of people in my family smoke, parents, siblings, cousins. I certainly wouldn't care if my child ended up smoking weed as an adult, as long as it wasn't taking over their life, just the same as I wouldn't flip out if they were drinking as long as they weren't alcoholics or having issues because of it.

I have many good memories of getting high at friend's houses as a teen and watching a comedy dvd, oh the laughter. I'd certainly rather my child came home red-eyed, hungry, and stoned, rather than puking up over themselves and needing me to get them undressed (I did both as a teen, but I rarely drink anymore because it's just not worth it).

I've only ever had one or two bad experiences with weed, both times were as a teen when I ripped a bong without eating food beforehand and it made me whitey - you go pale, you throw up, you feel fine again.

But alcohol? I've had experiences where I thought someone was going to have to call me an ambulance, on the floor stripping off and shivering with hot and cold sweats (a wayward whiskey adventure)... I remember aged 17 visiting a friend who lived in the YMCA, drinking a load of straight Glenn's ( vom) vodka, and I ended up being banned from the building because I caused damage to the property when I fell over dramatically in the bathroom, was sick, crying, lost my phone. That was the night my parents drove out to find me as I wasn't home, in town stumbling, and had to undress me and I had been sick all down myself.

As an adult, I have a few nights-out with friends where I will drink, but it's not something I use regularly at all. And I don't go stupid with it like when I was a teen.

I smoke every evening however, it just relaxes me, clears my mind, and I really enjoy reading books or playing video games, watching a film afterwards.

I've also noticed when I drink, I get overly emotional. So, if I've been upset or angry about something, and I drink, sometimes that anger or sadness will get amplified, and my inhibitions lowered so I have ended up in arguments with people. This doesn't happen when I smoke. When I smoke, I am more amiable. More willing to forgive.

I absolutely hate the stuff.
Many years ago I went out with a guy who totally ruined his life because of it. I think he is living him some sort of halfway house now.

When I was with him, he was constantly paranoid. For example, forever thinking people were talking about him or looking at him funny when he was on the bus etc etc. the paranoia was relentless and drove me crazy.

It also totally killed any sense of get up and go he had; couldn’t hold down a job- couldn’t get up in the mornings, killed all sense of focus and ambition yet he had come from a really stable middle class background- mum was a primary school head teacher..

About 30 years later I bumped into him in the local launderette (recognised him, but he didn’t recognised me, thank god) and he looked a mess. There is temporary housing for vulnerable people (addicts, MH etc) near where I live and he was staying there. Bottom line is, he was an intelligent young man, had a bright future ahead of him yet threw it all away with his daily cannabis habit which turned him in to a paranoid and delusional wreck- was never able to pull himself together, never settled down and never had a family (which were things he wanted when I knew him.

@Blossomtoes

You try it *@VelvetChairGirl*. Go on, give it a go and see if you’re still so blasé.

its hardly the same as something that physically changes your brain, you cant recover from that.

@VelvetChairGirl
Yes it does change your brain. You are wrong.

I would say the same about alcohol. I gave it up fully by 21 not because I'm addict. Smoked weed regularly from 17. Been very successful in my career. I would struggle with a couple of drinks in the evening but not weed. Like drinkers weed tokers get to know their limits. Sure many drinkers would say the same by the time they have 5 drinks but not one or two over the evening. Some studies say not good for fertility but I got pregnant in 4 cycles and husband smokes weed to. I gave up weed the day I found out I was pregnant as not addictive. I miss it after a long stressful day like I sure more light drinkers do when pregnant. I can see it from both ways why can't yourself? And I've not smoked tobacco for 6 years even with weed that was hell to give up took me 6 times.

I’m in a pregnancy due date group that has a lot of American mums in it and a surprising number seem to use weed in some form. And a lot are absolutely insistent that their anecdote of a friend who used weed and has a child who is really smart means that weed is basically a pregnancy vitamin. I’m not an expert on what the evidence shows on weed in pregnancy but I’d bet their insistence that it actually leads to smart babies isn’t exactly proven and I think it would be more honest if they just said they didn’t want to give up because it helps with the morning sickness, or anxiety, or they just like it.
I do judge a bit when they refer to their unborn babies as “canababies”.

I know 3 or 4 regular weed smokers and I can't say I've ever seen any of them looking particularly stoned. They say they smoke it to relax and unwind in the evenings.