How To Talk To Your Family About Cannabis

With Christmas just around the corner, family will start arriving from out of town in preparation for the festivities. Depending on your family dynamic and individual ideologies, cannabis may or may not be something that’s discussed at the Christmas dinner table. Even with legalization, not everyone has come around to the idea of cannabis or has an understanding of the incredible benefits it can offer.

If you are the green sheep of the family and the only one who uses cannabis, you may feel a little nervous about bringing it up in between mouthfuls of turkey. We’re here to help make that conversation easier with our five tips on how to talk to your family about cannabis.

Tip #1- Pick The Right Time

Grandma is grumpy because her wine glass is empty. Dad is stressed over cutting the turkey. And the dogs are running wild with some Christmas decorations. This may not be the ideal time to discuss your cannabis use with your family. Choose a time when spirits are high, everyone is relaxed, have maybe had a drink or two, and are generally in a good mood. While there is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of, you want to ensure that your family is in the right head space to receive your news. Try to naturally include cannabis into the conversation, as starting out with “We need to talk”, may put your family members on the defense. You could talk about your support of legislation changes, how you’ve used it in lieu of pain killers, how you’ve been getting in shape and reduced your alcohol consumption, whatever feels natural to you.

Tip #2- Be Honest

As we mentioned before, using cannabis is nothing to be ashamed of. While a stigma still remains, open and honest conversations are helping to normalize and humanize cannabis use. If you use cannabis to help cope with your anxiety, share that. If you enjoy edibles to help you sleep, share that. If you want to relax after a long day and enjoy smoking, share that. Much of the stigma surrounding cannabis comes from misinformation and a misunderstanding of why many people turn to cannabis to treat their mental and physical ailments. By sharing your personal experiences with your family, it will help them to understand why cannabis is so great!

Don’t be surprised if your parents or grandparents take an interest in how they could use cannabis personally. Seniors are the fast growing segment of cannabis users! Cannabis has helped reduce the medication load for many and it could be a great option for those in your family.

Tip #3- Educate Yourself And Others

After you’ve shared your personal experiences, it may help to back it up with some research. Tell them about new studies you’ve read, smoke-free options, conditions that cannabis treats and where you find such information. Everyone loves to learn and older generations may not be tech-savvy enough to know where to find online research or how to educate themselves.

Tip #4- Be Open

After the cannabis cat is out of the bag, keep the conversation going! If your family has questions, try not to react emotionally and, instead, be open to any inquiries they have. If they have never used cannabis before, they will likely have plenty! Questions are great because it gives you an opportunity to address any concerns they may have about your use and explain your reasons for utilizing cannabis in your routine.

If your family isn’t very receptive to your love of cannabis, don’t take it personally; they are entitled to their opinions, as are you. It doesn’t minimize the benefits you receive or the positive impact it is having on your life.

Tip #5- Dont’t Stress

At the end of the day, it’s your life and you are the one who has the pleasure of living it. Whether your family agrees with your cannabis use or not, you have been honest, open, informative and shared that part of your life with them.

It’s A Cannabis Christmas

On the other end of the spectrum, if your family loves cannabis as much as you do, why not treat them to a cannabis Christmas? Hop on over to our blog post HERE for our Christmas gift recommendations for every cannabis lover on your list.