“You can still be a kickass mum and smoke weed.” Right or wrong, this is the message mum-of-two Caitlyn Fladager wants other mums to know.
The Canadian mum is making social media waves after sharing a picture on Facebook of her smoking a joint, holding one of those classic DIY letter board signs that mums love to use for photo props.
Her message: Weed should be just as acceptable as a glass of wine.
As it stands now, it’s not, especially not in Australia. After all, marijuana is illegal in Australia. It’s illegal to buy, sell, possess. Everything about it is a big no-no. Weed comes with a list of health effects, especially if used long term, including impaired concentration, damage to the lungs and possible problems with mental health.
It is legal to smoke weed in Canada. You can even buy it in the shops and you don’t need a prescription. But, as Caitlin explains in her now-viral Facebook post, it’s still not something people, especially mums, feel comfortable talking about.
‘Marijuana is my glass of wine, my can of beer, my relaxation time.’
As Caitlin writes,
Yes, I have two kids. Yes, I smoke weed daily.
It’s so funny to me how frowned-upon marijuana is. No one looks twice when a mom says she enjoys “mom juice” aka wine, after her kids are in bed. But when a mom says she smokes weed, it’s a huge shock.”
Caitlin goes on to explain that weed helps mellow her out, allows her to get a good night’s sleep and helps her wake up with a clearer mind. Simply put, she thinks she’s a better mum when she smokes pot and it’s no different to alcohol.
Caitlin, whose kids are school-aged, then delves deeper into just how marijuana has helped her. Judging by the thousands of comments and shares, countless others in a similar situation.
It’s okay to smoke weed after your kids go to bed.
It’s okay to smoke it to help with anxiety. Mine has been SO much better since I started smoking.
It’s okay to smoke it to gain weight. I’ve always been dangerously underweight. Now, I am at the healthiest weight I have ever been in my life.
It’s okay to smoke it, to help you get off medication. I was able to completely stop my anti-depressants because smoking helped me so much.
It’s okay to smoke instead of drink. I used to have a problem with drinking, and my behaviour that came along with that. Weed has helped me to stop drinking so much, and to be honest, I much prefer smoking over drinking.
Note these are all opinions. They should not be taken as fact. Anyone struggling with substance abuse should seek help from a doctor or Beyond Blue.
Why no doobie-o-clock?
Wine-time is a common thing for mums. As soon as the kids go to bed, it’s wine-o-clock where we mums can zone out in silence and without anyone asking us for snacks.
There are even studies that suggest drinking wine is good for us and our society seems to accept drinking as the norm, regardless of whether you have kids or not. We are not made to feel like bad mums just because we drink. In fact, alcohol seems to go hand-in-hand with being a mum.
Most mums will happily admit that, yes, they consumed a glass of wine last night. And, yes, it mellowed them out and made them better equipped to deal with the demands of their devil spawn.
However, most mums who smoke weed will never admit that they smoked last night. Or ever. Caitlin’s message certainly gives us all something to think about. Are we being hypocritical? Is there a difference? Feel free to tell us what you think on our Facebook page.
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