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Marijuana is an extremely intricate plant, and it contains a wid
e variety of cannabinoids aside from THC (the chemical that gets users high). There’s so stereotype that can cover all marijuana consumers; they consume the plant for a variety of reasons, can be any gender, and can be any age; that includes parents. There’s still a stigma associated with marijuana despite the fact that so many states are moving toward broader legalization. Slowly but surely, the stigma of marijuana is dissipating, but a stigma remains for parents who smoke marijuana. Read on to learn why this shouldn’t be the case and why smoking marijuana should be accepted across the board.
Reasons for Smoking Marijuana
Everyone has a different reason for wanting to smoke marijuana. Parents could do choose to consume marijuana to help wind down after a long day, to try to help with a condition, or just for recreational purposes; they’re just like any other person. As a result, if a parent chooses to smoke marijuana instead of taking another medication to combat their issue, their quality of life and well-being is different. Parents get stressed out just as much as any one else, and sometimes more so, depending on their specific situation.
Therefore, there shouldn’t be a stigma for parents smoking marijuana if they’re still living normal lives and if they’re consuming the plant responsibly and not around their children. We all have our issues and daily struggles, including parents. If smoking marijuana provides comfort to some parents and helps them combat whichever issue (medical-related or not) that they’re dealing with, then that’s their prerogative.
Why Stress Can Be a Downward Spiral and Why Marijuana Might Help
Nowadays, society operates at such a fast pace, regardless of where you live or what you do for a living. At the end of the day, each of us deals with stress in some shape or form depending on where we are in our lives, who we surround ourselves with, the underlying/internal issues we battle with, and the things we need to accept and let go of. Parents are one group of people who feel stressed often, especially if they have to take care of multiple children in addition to other daily tasks.
According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, chronic stress has become a public health crisis. Additionally, stress has been shown to have a significant impact on Americans’ physical and emotional health. In particular, most Americans suffer from moderate to high stress, and 44 percent of Americans reported that their stress level increased over the past five years. As a result, people are turning towards forms of stress-relievers.
Although some people prefer consuming alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs to help their stress, a lot of people, including parents, have turned towards smoking marijuana instead. Fortunately, some people find that marijuana helps their stress.
If you’ve ever been stressed before or if you’ve witnessed your parents experience stress, then you would understand why they’d want to consume this substance rather than turning to other de-stressing activities. This is why a stigma should no longer exist among parents who smoke marijuana, especially if they do so for stress-related reasons.
Unfortunately, stress can take a serious toll on our bodies, physically, mentally, and emotionally, depending on the magnitude of it. Therefore, if parents and other individuals make the choice to legally consume marijuana to combat their stress without letting it consume their lives, then why shouldn’t they?
Marijuana Gives Some People A Different Perspective
For those of you who have experienced depression, negativity, or similar feelings before, you know how difficult it can be to live your life day after day while feeling so miserable. Unfortunately, a lot of parents battle with depression and regular negativity, especially if they’re under a great deal of stress. As a result, many parents have tried smoking marijuana as an attempt to help with their daily negative feelings, especially if they live in a U.S. state where marijuana is recreationally legal.
It has been found through a neuroscience study conducted at the University of Buffalo that chronic stress is one major cause of depression. However, it was discovered that using components derived from the marijuana plant can restore normal endocannabinoid function, which could potentially help stabilize moods and ease depression, according to Dr. Haj Dahmane, lead conductor of this study.
With this being said, it’s very common for stressed-out individuals and parents to fall into a depression-like state, which isn’t good for anybody. Therefore, if parents decide to smoke marijuana to receive some relief, they should be accepted for their decision rather than ostracized or stigmatized.
Overall, the stereotypical stigma is outdated. People, parents and non-parents, should be allowed to make their own informed decisions.
Article by: Nicole Skrobin
