Kids and
Cannabis by Alesha Wilson, M. Ed.
Certified Cannabis Therapy Consultant
W
hether you have chosen to explore the benefits of cannabis yourself or if you have chosen to adopt someone else’s experience (and therefore their mindset) – it makes a big difference in how you explain the plant to your child. It is my opinion that parents should not give up their power to propaganda-driven sources, but retain that power through education. There are multiple mindsets about cannabis. The two most common are medicinal and recreational. If you look up the cultivars (aka strains) for the cannabinoid and the terpene profiles that have been proven to help ailments before going into the dispensary, you most likely have a medical mindset when it comes to consuming cannabis. If you choose products based on their smell or flavor, that is still considered medicinal, because it is your body telling you what will work for you.
19 JANUARY 2022 thechronicmagazine.com
If your mindset is recreational, you are less bound by cannabinoids, terpenes, and dosages – but may find it harder to justify it to your child. Overall, I recommend a factual explanation of the plant. Explain to your child that the plant has healing properties. If they need visuals of how plants can heal, show them how an aloe vera plant heals a sunburn or how lavender helps them relax or sleep. Explain to them that cannabis works in similar ways yet requires more research to figure out how much each patient can take, and also explain that like regular medicine, if taken incorrectly, it will make us sick. If your child needs further explanation of the upsides of cannabis, biographical programs like Mount Kush, can help unfold the benefits of the plant for children with ailments (i.e., Palsy, seizures, or Chrone’s).
These types of programs will also explain the difficulties of the industry being able to provide treatments based on current laws. Don’t forget to mention that your state requires a medical license to consume, if that is the case. One parent explained to her child,
“. . . it helps us sleep better and I’d prefer not to take any kind of pills.” The mother mentioned that she has seen too many people get addicted to prescription pills and other drugs which destroy their lives.
