Despite the fact that MJ has helped me immensely with continual pain from a previous surgery, there are added benefits as a parent that I've come to acknowledge over the past few years.
I'm calmer, have less stress, and am more pleasant to be around. It's the simple truth. : )
I'm calmer, have less stress, and am more pleasant to be around. It's the simple truth. : )
Vaporizing Marijuana (Mj) I have more of a healthy appetite. Life is now often go go go, trying to cram a ton of things to do–eating a healthy meal doesn't always take top priority. I know it should, but sometimes I just can't stop to eat. Mj helps me to consistently have a healthier appetite than I would otherwise.
MJ also helps to calms my nerves (every time), helps me have more patience and a calmness that can't easily be explained. I know non-mj-smokers are thinking: "Marijuana is a drug, it's wrong, you can't use it for good, it kills brain cells." But take a look at current evidence people. Watch documentaries and studies from NORML.org. It's a frigin PLANT and states are passing laws to legalize it for medical and recreational purposes. The studies that claim "it kills brain cells" are from decades ago and completely irrelevant now; like the monkey study.
I asked a few of my friends in my mommy circle their (private) opinion on how smoking marijuana has helped them with their parenting. These were their responses:
"MJ will keep you calm when your nerves feel like they're on the verge of a breakdown."
"It makes me feel sleepy and calm and sleep better at night."
"I'm able to play Barbies and Candyland over and over, and it's a lot more fun."
"I always feel better, happier, calmer. I wish I had access sooner."
"I'm able to play Barbies and Candyland over and over, and it's a lot more fun."
"I always feel better, happier, calmer. I wish I had access sooner."
"Sometimes I feel a little paranoid at first, but then I feel relaxed and happy"
"Marijuana is the most natural, effective medication that should be made available to all parents..."
"I'm open about it with my daughter. With laws changing, I want her to be informed of both sides."
"Marijuana is only a 'gateway' drug because it's usually the most inexpensive and most accessible."
"Marijuana is only a 'gateway' drug because it's usually the most inexpensive and most accessible."
"Better than drinking - no hangover, safer and cheaper too."
It's NOT easy being a mom. Being a mom is wonderful, and I believe the most important job if you have children. Having to balance so many things, be "on call" just about 24/7, not to mention the responsibility for little HUMAN BEINGS–'tis no easy task!! When I smoke weed, somehow–and this is the best part EVERY time–I feel like everything will be okay. Whether or not it is, at least for the next few hours, I feel hopeful.
I remember the first few times I smoked weed I felt super paranoid. I learned to expect to feel an anxiousness at first, and then a calmness. Especially with vaporizing, the calmness from marijuana is there within minutes. Vaporizing is so soothing–like a little aromatherapy for your day. I feel recharged yet relaxed. Happy and content. I can't explain it. If you smoke you know what I'm talking about.
There's no way on earth anyone could "overdose" or take "too much" marijuana.
There's no way on earth anyone could "overdose" or take "too much" marijuana.
Can this be explained medically?
"...they discovered why massive doses of cannabis has never killed anybody. There's not been one recorded death...it turns out that we don't have any cannabinoid receptors in the medulla oblongata. That's the part of the brain that controls respiration and heart rate.
So massive doses of many other drugs (or even not so massive doses), cause respiratory depression, cardiac suppression, and death. Massive amounts of marijuana might make people fall asleep, but it doesn't cause them to stop breathing or stop their heart rate."
- A NORML Life directed by Rod Pitman (2011).
20 million people in jail in the U.S. for Marijuana charges... ridiculous. :(
I try to realize I'm doing the best I can, and that's good enough. I love my family. I'm a good mom. I smoke weed. Simple as that.
I wish all people could find the truth in the amazing mental benefits of Marijuana.
Marc Emery is profiled in the documentary - a Canadian advocate for legalizing marijuana who was sentenced to 5 years in a US prison, in September, 2010.
Marc:
"The Bush White House, the DEA, and US police forces are arresting more Americans for marijuana than ever before, pursuing marijuana people with a frenzy never before seen in history. On October 17, 2005, the FBI revealed 771,608 persons were arrested for marijuana violations in 2004. The total is the highest ever and comprised 44.2 percent of all drug arrests in the United States. Since 1965, 17 million Americans have been arrested for marijuana offences, and arrests have skyrocketed in the past 12 years."
Each of us have our own history, situations and tough times to get through. Most of us moms share a common goal - to get these little people through this unpredictable life as safely and lovingly as possible. Believe me, the benefits of MJ for parenting are substantial, and will do wonders for stress-relief. It's just a shame we have to feel like the cops are going to bust down our door each time we have a little puff to relax. I can't even talk about MJ with my family or most moms day to day because its so taboo.
The decision of whether to vape or not at the time I did while pregnant was not easy. This was years before Colorado and Washington were legalized for recreational use. There weren't many posts online or blogs saying "heck yes, it's okay to when you're pregnant, I did and everything is fine." Except for the wonderful studies from Dr. Melanie Dreher. These changed my worry to a feeling of calmness, that I wasn't intentionally harming my baby, I was actually trying to help. I used marijuana with a vaporizer to calm my nerves, manage anxiety, help deal with mood-swings, and most importantly...give me a higher quality of life—with a large appetite and ability to keep food down! I needed to have a positive outlook for our sake as well as our baby's, through the stress and tension of being first-time parents and having health risks relating to weight loss and constant nausea. Here was a natural plant that allowed my body to keep down food and feel little to no nausea all day--plus be more cheerful! Pretty much a miracle. Couldn't really ask for a more natural approach versus some prescription for nausea medication from my doctor which contains who knows what.
After finding a slight deficit in visual responsiveness among marijuana-exposed newborns, no differences were found at six months, 12 months, 18 months, or 24 months. At age 3, the only difference (after controlling for confounding variables) was that children of "moderate" smokers had superior psycho-motor skills. At age 4, children of "heavy" marijuana users (averaging 18.7 joints/week) had lower scores on one subscale of one standardized test of verbal development. At age 6, these same children scored lower on one computerized task - that measuring "vigilance." On dozens of others scales and subscales, no differences were ever found.
Although it is sensible to advise pregnant women to abstain from using most drugs - including marijuana - the weight of scientific evidence indicates that marijuana has few adverse consequences for the developing human fetus.
I gave birth to a completely healthy 7 pound baby girl and I can assure you...she's bright and perfectly healthy. The perfect weight, a mama and daddy's girl, standing, crawling, laughing, playing, teething... perfect as can be. No asthma, no breathing issues, no physical or mental ailments, no allergies, no jaundice, no colic. When you read things like 34 Medical Studies that Cannabis Cures Cancer, you might ask yourself, "What is the most natural and makes true sense for my life?"
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"I'm not getting all crazy, hanging out of limo sun roofs, smoking weed off of hookers' tits. I tend to ride out my buzz by giggling with my family, eating dinner, doing the dishes, putting the baby to bed and watching an episode of Friday Night Lights."
"And I've never had a glass of wine and been captivated by children's books like I have after smoking a bowl. Staring at a page for God only knows how long, I caught myself saying very seriously, "Where is Waldo? I don't think he's in this one. Is he definitely always in it?"
So very true.
I vape and I will recommend vaping medical MJ to all moms who do so happily : )