Seasonal holiday dinners with the family can be an acute stressor, but the rampant legalization in many states has provided an excellent opportunity for some bonding. Now is a better time than ever to clue your family in on your green habit, and maybe even convince them to partake.

If your parents have given you nothing but judgment in the past, and they now live in a legal state, you finally have some baby-boomer friendly arguments. State legislature can understand that marijuana has been given an excessively bad rap, so your parents might also be open to persuasion. Make sure your defense of cannabis doesn’t set you up for failure- be honest about why you use it. They’re human beings too who have likely tried drugs and don’t want to hear you claim you only smoke a little bit when you have a headache when they know better. If a couple of bowls is your way of unwinding at the end of a long day, you should feel comfortable explaining that to parents who belong to a generation of self-medication through alcohol. This doesn’t mean you should turn around and insult their vice of choice, but by pointing out that we all have our coping methods, and acknowledging that any habit in excess can become unhealthy, you can shake off the die hard stoner stereotype. Hopefully, this kind of next level reasoning will get the non-believers to let their guard down.

Once there is a spark of curiosity, that’s all you need to invite your tight-collared relatives to take a hit of a joint! Don’t make the mistake of pressuring a novice to consume more than they’re ready to… even if it’s your uncle who claims he “used to grow this stuff” back in the day. New, older generation smokers should be made aware that the intensity of cannabis these days means that a little bit goes a lot further. For someone who hasn’t smoked in decades, and thinks they can handle more than a few short hits of that high-grade, sparkly purple flower you brought home, keep an eye on them. Perhaps even parse out your own smoking in front of these quick-to-impress parents or relatives so they don’t mistakenly try to keep up.

Story time: When I was newly graduated from high school, and my smoking proclivities became common knowledge to my parents, they took an interest and arranged a fun family night where we smoked a joint after dinner, and had a grand old time. At least, it was fun until my 65 year old father tried to stand up to use the restroom, and ended up fainting in the hallway. I calmed down my panicking mother, and we got my dad up and able to walk to bed, where we left him snoring heavily. If I had just insisted my dad not go on to splitting an entire joint, where my mother only took a single puff, then maybe this little bout of lightheadedness and heavy concern could have been avoided. Now, while my parents will rarely smoke with me, they are more than happy to chill with me on the patio while we chat and I enjoy half a blunt.

So this holiday season, to introduce your parents to cannabis…

Take it easy! Start slow and limit newbies’ intake, even if your family claims to have formerly lived the lifestyle. Don’t goad them into keeping up with you. And most importantly- laugh a lot, enjoy yourselves; after all that’s one reason we cannabis enthusiasts love it so much, and it’s never been a better time to share that love with family.

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