How to Tell Your Parents You Smoke Weed

Many don't want their parents to know about particular parts of their lives. Smoking marijuana is one of them. For others, they want their family to know, and they value openness within the family. This can be an essential conversation to have.

The first thing to consider is why you want them to know. Why do you want to talk to them about it? And most importantly, consider how they will respond. You and I both know that smoking weed responsibly is safe and can be fun. It can help dull pain or even lessen anxiety.

If you are reading this article now, you are lucky. Ten years ago, this would have been a much more complicated conversation. Nowadays, weed is in the media a lot. Weed is getting legalized or decriminalized a lot. And as more research suggests, it is not all that bad.

Preparing For The Conversation

How do they feel about weed? Find out.

If you just started reading this article, don't expect to have the conversation today. Beforehand, it is vital to know your parents' stance on cannabis use. Maybe they even have some personal history of smoking weed?

Pay attention whenever the subject arises and notice their reactions. Are they positive or negative? You can also mention how many people at the party you attended smoked weed.

Try to bring up the topic organically; by this, I mean don't just blurt something out. Wait until the topic fits. Perhaps if you see some weed-related news or other even other drug-related news.

Weed is considered one of the safer drugs. This way, you shift the conversation to something less dangerous.

Here are some examples of how to casually mention cannabis use:

• "I heard that cannabis use might be completely legal next year."

• "Did you guys know that marijuana stores exist? Twenty years ago, that was pure imagination."

• "I saw many people smoke weed on the beach today, and it is crazy how accepted it has become."

Ask yourself. Why do I smoke weed, and how does it positively affect me?

Why you smoke weed is not super important. However, it will help your parents understand better.

It is vital to be honest about this. Building trust is essential, especially with family.

Most people, myself included, use it for a variety of reasons. We use it for medical and recreational purposes. If you know what reasons apply to you, it's better to tell them those instead of "Well, my friends do it" or "I don't know, but I like it."

Here are some reasons or benefits of cannabis:

• Lessens your anxiety or stress (mental health)

• It helps with pain, aches, and other discomforts

• it makes you feel happy and creative

My personal reason is at the end of the day. It's nice to just relax and stop thinking for a while.

If you smoke cannabis or use cannabis products to better your mental health, you should consider sharing with your parents or some close friends who can help you further improve it. More and more people use cannabis to manage symptoms just enough to not worry about fixing themselves further. Your mental health is a meaningful conversation to have! With grown-ups or good friends.

Legality

Your state or country's cannabis laws will almost always be the number one reason for concern with parents. It simply does not matter how safe something is. If you can get official consequences, it's not worth it.

In the US, there are 50 states with different views on cannabis use. Check out DISA's map and list for an updated status on your state. For the rest of the world, check out Wikipedia.

Is it legal or decriminalized?

If marijuana or medical marijuana isn't legal where you live, it still might be decriminalized. In practice, this means police can stop you and seize your cannabis. They can also provide a fine.

To smoke cannabis publicly in a decriminalized area is not wise as police don't prioritize decriminalized activity, but in public, they most definitely will.

Definition of decriminalizing

transitive verb

: to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of

especially: to repeal a strict ban while keeping under some form of regulation //decriminalizing the possession of marijuana

Let's hope for cannabis legalization everywhere.

What do you want to happen after the talk?

The weed talk you are about to have should have a purpose. You should know why you want your parents to know you are currently using cannabis. If you don't have a reason for talking, don't talk.

Knowing why is essential. I wanted my parents to know so they don't get any unexpected surprises and end up disappointed. So I talked with them to show them this was my choice and not some mistake.

Also, people don't hide things for no reason. So I stood by my decision and let them decide what they thought about it.

Wait, wait until your parent or parents are calm and in a relaxed mood.

Have you heard the quote, "Don't review your life when you are tired." The same applies to essential conversations. After dinner, I brought the topic to life while chatting about our day. This made it less tense, and they were more open to listening.

If you got caught red-handed during your cannabis consumption, more negative feelings and outbursts would likely occur during the talk.

Let them know what you want them to know, and make sure to re-introduce the topic at a later time when everyone is more relaxed. This will make talking easier, and you will be listened to.

Stay up-to-date on acceptance, research, and legality.

Marijuana use increases globally every day, and worldwide, it is less and less illegal and taboo. The reason so many parents and adults think so negatively about marijuana is because it is listed as a schedule 1 drug alongside heroin and meth.

Schedule 1 drugs are also tough to legally study.

There are many myths about smoking pot. Debunk those myths in a professional manner and sell the explanations to your parents.

Also! Keep up to date on cannabis news, and make sure you hint about it every now and then. Warming them up a little. As I have stated below, you might have better luck getting them to listen to someone else than you, unfortunately, but true.

Pro-tip; have some scientific studies of great authority on standby. Then, if your parents won't listen to you, they might listen to Ph.D.s.

Talking to Your Parents

Don't make it a big thing. Stay calm

Approach the talk without stressing out too hard. Remember, what your parents think is not the end of the world. This is an important conversation after all.

It has never been the root source of an overdose, and it is non-addictive. However, it can be mentally addicting. Some suggestions for how you can start the conversation are:

• "I wanted to let you guys know about something in my life, I don't think it's a big deal, but I wanted it to come from me. I trust you to listen to me."

• "I want to be closer to you guys, so I feel like sharing a bit about my decision to smoke weed/use cannabis."

• "Mom, Dad, I just wanted to let you know I smoke weed occasionally, It is not a big deal, but I wanted you to know."

Let them know how marijuana helps many as a medicine.

This isn't necessarily a point you want to bring to the table. If it applies to you, do it. If not, don't. Although medical cannabis use helps several thousand every day, cannabis use not for medical purposes is something else.

Did you know that cannabis products can kill cancer cells? The National Cancer Society promotes this. It can also be used to;

• Treat insomnia, glaucoma, and chronic pain.

• Control Seizures

• Slow Alzheimers

• Increase creativity

• Can counteract Anxiety and Depression

If you simply smoke pot to enjoy the high, I would focus more on why it isn't any more dangerous than, for example, alcohol.

Let them know about the low risks for long-term users.

The Washington Post wrote an article about chronic marijuana use. The conclusion was it was about as dangerous to your health as not flossing is. Read the full article here. Initially published in 2016.

Compare this to other substances like alcohol and tobacco. The truth is that drug use has an ominous sound to it, but tobacco and alcohol are drugs, and they get abused and used all the time. Alcohol is a great danger to public health, but weed is not. At least not in the same way.

Let them be curious. Let them speak and hear what they have to say.

You are probably telling your parents to maintain a healthy relationship. So, let them ask and let them be skeptical without you becoming upset. The goal is to remain calm and really take the time to listen to each other.

This is a two-way conversation, like most conversations. It is not a speech. Feel free to ask them questions like, "Have you ever smoked marijuana?". If they have, ask them why and why they didn't continue.

If they want to know details about your cannabis consumption, be honest. Let them know where you buy weed, how often, etc. If they feel you aren't sincere, they might feel like there is a big thing they're not being told.

Suppose they are open to trying weed for the first time. Check out this post on what to expect the first time smoking weed.

A few tips

• Let them know you aren't using other drugs.

• Let them know it doesn't negatively affect your life (if it does, you should seek help)

What Happens Next?

Whether or not your folks were cool about you sharing, total acceptance will likely take some time. They might be a little weird around you for some time, trying to find out if you are high or if you smell like weed or something else marijuana-related.

The important thing here is that you just continue precisely like you were before. Don't change your behavior, and don't fear that your life will be forever changed. With just a little time, they'll know that the only thing that's changed is that they now know about it.

Also, the first conversation does not have to be the last one. Feel free to talk about it again if you feel like they are treating you differently or if you feel like they respect you less.

If your parents react poorly, don't freak out. Remember, you have chosen to be honest with them. Everyone will lose if the conversation transitions to a screaming match. STAY CALM.

Remember my pro tip from earlier?

Have some scientific studies of great authority on standby. If your parents won't listen to you, they might listen to Ph.D.s.

Good luck! -Freddie