For avid cannabis users, there’s always the impending doom that comes with your parents finding out you smoke weed. We’ve all been there, especially coming from Nigeria that has a generally conservative older generation. And it can be a mess explaining to them considering the fact that Marijuana is still illegal in the country.
The discussion goes downhill from there especially if your parents find out in a fucked up situation. One where you’re not prepared to have the conversation and you’re scrambling for any excuse in reach. Things usually get really weird and complex after. No matter how ‘cool’ your parents seem to be it just irks them knowing their child ‘smokes weed’. It’s hard for your parents to see you the same way again.
Weed has become popular globally, first world countries continue to legalize it and it’s not really a bad thing anymore. Unfortunately, our parents don’t understand this. However, I felt way better when I told my parents because I was tired of the sneaking around and lying. I didn’t have my facts right so I got screwed by my folks but fuck it, cat’s out the bag.
I think everyone should be able to share this ‘pot-smoking’ side with their parents along with reasons you use marijuana. So, we gathered a few facts you should keep handy when you talk to your parents about cannabis. Goodluck, and apologies ahead if none of this works.
Marijuana Is Not A Gateway Drug.
Weed is commonly known as the “gateway drug”, the first drug on your way to hard drugs and the start of your downfall.
Well, that’s bullshit. When it comes to cannabis, the “gateway drug” theory has never been proven. Not only is there a lack of evidence that marijuana use correlates with the subsequent use of hard drugs, but there’s also a growing body of research indicating the very opposite. Research has revealed that individuals in states where marijuana laws are less restrictive are less likely to die from, or misuse, opioids, for example. And many people are also more likely to use cannabis as a substitute for countless pharmaceuticals.
You Don’t Have To “Smoke” Marijuana To Derive The Plant’s Benefits
Most parents hang of the fact that you’re now a ‘smoker’, which irritates them even more so when you’re placing your argument its good to inform them that bongs, blunts, and joints aren’t the only ways you can administer cannabis these days. There are so many other options. Topical creams, gel capsules, sublingual sprays, tinctures—these are just a few examples that demonstrate the versatility of cannabis consumption in the 21st century.
Weed is Safer Than Booze
This is probably the easiest fact card to pull, but if you’ve got a parent who detests marijuana—but finds a glass of wine at dinner comforting and socially acceptable—it might be worth challenging some societal norms here. Marijuana is about 114 times less deadly than alcohol, according to a 2015 study and causes fewer deaths too.
Nobody Has Ever Died From A Marijuana Overdose. Ever
In Lagos, the typical poster boys for smoking weed were the ‘agberos’ who had nothing important to do. Supposedly weed would put you in reckless situations that risk your life.
But decades of research, including a 2017 report published by none other than the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) itself, has made one fact clear: nobody has ever died from a marijuana overdose.
Weed Has Health Benefits & Different Strains
Different strains give you a calmer and more relaxed high than what’s typically painted.
A few conditions cannabis use is known to treat, which have been firmly established through peer-reviewed research: pain (both physical and neuropathic), muscular spasms, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and nausea. Consuming cannabis isn’t singularly about getting high. Strains, dosing, and forms of consumption matter. There shouldn’t be any shame in getting high for the sake of getting high, and they should understand that too.
This Won’t Always Be The Easiest Conversation, So be Prepared.
