The holiday season is well underway and with it comes the promise of many (maybe too many) family get-togethers. Estranged aunts, distant cousins, and every in-law you can imagine – just waiting for the opportunity to ask you all the questions you simply don't want to answer, like "Why are you still single?" or "How's the job hunt going?" But some of the worst questions that can be asked around a holiday dinner table are questions about cannabis. Specifically, your views on cannabis! Instead of floundering to tell grandma why weed isn't bad, prepare for all the most common cannabis conversations and how to navigate them. From legalization to the rapidly changing future of weed, we have you covered in Leafbuyer's guide to cannabis conversations!
Cannabis Legalization
Legalization is a hot topic in the media which means just about everyone has an opinion about it. Whether your family agrees with your point of view or not, it can't hurt to shed some light on the reality of cannabis legalization. In fact, this is one of the easiest cannabis conversations to navigate, especially when you bring history into the mix. If you want to talk about legalization, it’s important to establish a simple fact early on: cannabis has been used by humanity for thousands of years and has only recently been criminalized. Research can corroborate the historical use of cannabis as a medicine, a drug, and an essential crop for textiles and more. You can also mention the prohibition of alcohol and question why people are free to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and drink coffee but they can't smoke weed. It simply doesn't make sense!
Common sense aside, there are fiscal and health-related reasons for legalizing cannabis as well. Legalized weed means regulated weed, which, for a lot of people should be a good thing! Now anyone over the age of 21 can buy cannabis legally with guaranteed safety, all thanks to legalization. To top it off, all that spending due to the growing weed industry is great for the economy. Jobs are created by legalization – from weed trimmers to scientists – and they, in turn, probably spend some of their paycheck on weed. The cycle continues and everyone is, all in all, safer and happier with legalized weed.
Weed Makes You "Lazy"
This cannabis conversation comes up a lot and debunking it can be hard. After all, some people do get lazy when they smoke weed. The problem? Those people were probably already lazy before they started smoking. Most ambitious people, even those who enjoy cannabis, won't lose that motivation because of a vice. Even better, there are a ton of popular figures like athletes and actors who debunk the laziness stereotype. Also, how would the cannabis industry be growing at such a rapid rate if all stoners were lazy? You have to admit that a large portion of the people working with weed are doing so because they themselves enjoy cannabis. If weed was as demotivating as some people seem to think, the cannabis industry wouldn't be where it is today. Smoking weed doesn't make you lazy – being lazy makes you lazy.
Weed is Bad and Consuming It is Bad
One of the most important tips for cannabis conversations is knowing when to engage and when to just drop the topic. If you know that the person asking you questions about weed is decidedly anti-cannabis, then it may be better to avoid the cannabis conversation altogether. Yes, discourse is important, but so is knowing when something is a lost cause. If your holiday includes someone who is 100 percent against weed, then you probably aren't going to change their mind, just like they aren't going to change yours. It's hard to let someone keep on thinking that weed is bad and using it is bad too but sometimes you don't have a choice. People will believe what they believe and trying to change them only causes stress. Wait until they leave, then light one up in their name. You can be the living proof that cannabis isn't as bad as some people think it is.
