I saw a great video this morning about senior citizens opting out of prescription meds and choosing marijuana instead. I’m so excited that people of all ages and backgrounds are starting to come out of the closet about their cannabis use.

I have to tell you, I love the look on most people’s faces when I tell them I’m a hemp activist. I’m probably the last image that comes to mind when you think of hemp or even pot. I’m in my mid-40’s, extremely active, very industrious and pretty much always on the go. I have super well-behaved kids, including my adult child who has grown to be quite an extraordinary young woman and graduated from USC last year. My kids love learning and school. It’s funny. I was identified gifted at a young age, but looking back, I realize classroom learning was never my thing, but I am a great student of life.

One thing is for sure, I am just one big oxymoron! I graduated high school when I was 16, but didn’t care enough to finish college. I grew up in East Los Angeles as a latch key kid, now I’m living the idyllic family life in Calabasas, also known as “Kardashian County.” I had 56 absences my senior year in high school, so I made up for it by marrying an actual high school teacher. I’m not really into sports, but that teacher I married teaches PE and is a pretty extraordinary coach. I hated the idea of becoming a secretary when I was young so I never bothered to take a typing class. So what did I do? I made a great living as the secretary to a professor/chairman/dean at a medical school for over 15 years. I grew up Catholic, so I married a Jew. I think you’re starting to get the picture, right?

All this duality leads me to believe that I have exactly what it takes to reach a whole new demographic with the same message Jack Herer’s been trying to spread since he published his book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” in 1985. Somehow, I always feel like some sort of “Trojan Horse of Hemp!” Because I use the thinking man as my logo as opposed to the hemp leaf, I am usually able to start a conversation without scaring people away. I often use my clothing line as a launching pad for a quick little hemp fact to whomever will listen. That was why I created it. One thing is for sure, I do have the gift of gab, just like my hero Jack!

What this movement needs is for people to feel safe about opening up. I really enjoy that part of my job as an activist. The part that makes people feel understood. Anyway, isn’t that what this whole Marijuana Prohibition thing really is? It’s just one big, huge, purposeful, misunderstanding. I hate the idea of perpetuating the fear so I choose to do the opposite, kind of like George Costanza on Seinfeld. I generally do the opposite of what people will expect, anyway. My husband likes to call this the “shock effect.” He says I basically like shocking people. Perhaps that’s true. But if I can shock them into a better reality, why not?

What I am finding is that more and more, people are opening up to the idea that hemp is just a plant that got a bad rap and that this forbidden plant actually does have so many amazing qualities. It seems like the fear instilled by Reefer Madness is finally dissipating and people are much more open to talking about pot and hemp. This may be because medical marijuana is in the media so much nowadays, but whatever the reason, I sure am glad. We need to continue these conversations and let people know that they are understood. That it’s not only okay to use marijuana medicinally, but even recreationally as mentioned in the Marie Claire article about Stiletto Stoners.

If you think about it, recreation is also health related. Recreational activities relieve stress. In essence, if you are using cannabis recreationally, it is still in some aspect, medicinal. Take a look at this video that will give you some great insight about the growing population of Stiletto Stoners:

If you know someone who needs a friendly ear to open up to, perhaps you can be that for them. Or, feel free to send them to my blog…..I’ll listen!