The 'Marijuana Moms of Beverly Hills' who throw cannabis-infused dinner parties and say taking drugs makes them better parents

Women say ingesting marijuana like 'mother's little helper' Valium pills given to housewives in the 1960s

January Thomas, 37, smokes five times a day while caring for her two-year-old and reads her books about marijuana

Simmi Dhillon, 40, says marijuana saved her marriage to her police officer husband



A group of mothers in wealthy Beverley Hills, California, is trying to change the perception that drugs and parenting don't mix.

These 'marijuana moms' meet regularly for lavish cannabis-infused dinners. Many of them smoke marijuana several times a day to relax and cope with chronic pain.



They say the drug, which is legal with a prescription in the state of California, makes them better parents and better wives.



Many of the women in the group are married. Most have young children. Some are wealthy stay-at-home mothers. Others work part-time as bartenders or in the service industry. One is the wife of a police officer.

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'Marijuana moms': January Thomas, 37, with her fiancee 'Henry Hemp' read a cannabis themed story book to their daughter Zeena called 'Mommy's Funny Medicine'

Thomas says she smokes marijuana five times a day through a water bong while she looks after her two-year-old daughter

Thomas and her fiancee show affection to Zeena while they read her 'It's Just a Plant,' another pro-marijuana children's book

Thomas and her fiancee are both pro-marijuana activists who believe marijuana is a safe, but powerful drug for pain relief

Tiny Zeena, Thomas' daughter, is seen here at a pro-marijuana rally in Los Angeles

'We've all come up against people who say marijuana is for dirty druggies, but we are proof you can be good parents and productive members of society and use it,' Cheryl Shuman, a 53-year-old mother of two, said.



'I like to think we are bringing some glamor and exclusivity to marijuana use.'



She compared ingesting marijuana on a regular basis to mothers in the 1960s who took 'mother's little helper' pills - Valium - to help them cope with the daily strains of motherhood and running a household.



'Taking marijuana is just the same, it helps us get through the day,' she said.



Shuman throws marijuana-themed dinners every month for her friends, most of whom are mothers with children. She even enlisted the help of top Beverly Hills chef David Schanhals to craft menus.



Past meals have included cannabis leaf salad, chicken fried in cannabis oil and marijuana milk shakes.

'High' class? The ladies of the 'Marijuana Moms' dinner club are (left to right) Simmi Dhillon, 40, Yamileth Bolanos, 57, Cheryl Shuman, 53, Lisa Kaler, 37, Catherine Montgomery, 50, January Thomas, 37, and Nelly Marilu, 27

'Tasting party': The 'marijuana moms' gather after dinner to partake in smoking different trains of marijuana Schuman shows off the young marijuana plants that she is growing at her home Doing it right: Cheryl Schuman, 53, poses with chef David Schanhals, who has hired to help put together marijuana-themed dinners at her home in Beverly Hills, California

Schuman hopes to turn her dinner parties into a business if recreational marijuana use if legalized. Currently, California law only allows people with a prescription to use the drug

MARIJUANA IS LEGAL WITH A PRESCRIPTION IN CALIFORNIA

Marijuana has been decriminalized since 1975, when the state legislature passed a bill making the possession of the drug a $100 civil fine - not an arrestable offense. In 1996, California voters passed a bill that legalized marijuana possession for medical purposes. Doctors are allowed to prescribe the drug to anyone with certain chronic medical conditions. Californians with a prescription can obtain an ID card that allowed the poses, grown and consume the drug.

Fifty-five percent of voters approved the measure at the time. However, voters remain opposed to legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

A 2010 ballot proposition that would have legalized all possession of one ounce of marijuana or less for adults age 21 and over. It would also have allowed for the establishment of marijuana cafes and other businesses.

The measure failed 54percent to 46percent.

Federal law still prohibits the possession and use of marijuana - despite state laws allowing it. Federal agents have raided marijuana dispensaries and growing operations that are legal under California state law.

After the meal, the women gather to sample new strains of marijuana and smoke together.



January Thomas, 37, says she smokes marijuana five times a day while she looks after her two-year-old daughter Zenna.



She said the drug has become such an important part of her life that she has started to teach her daughter about it.



'Marijuana makes me a better and more creative parent. It puts me in the moment with Zeena and stops me worrying about everyday problems,' she said.



'I want her to understand the benefits of cannabis so I read her books like 'Mommy's Funny Medicine' and 'It's Just a Plant' to teach her.'

Thomas, a part-time bartender, also takes Zeena to pro-pot rallies with her fiance Magic Ellington - who goes by the name Henry Hemp.



Simmi Dhillon, 40, says marijuana saved her marriage. She was near divorce from her police officer husband of 14 years when she smoked pot for the first time.



'I was able to be the wife I wanted to be once again and it saved our marriage,' she said.



'Now I can talk to my 10-year-old son about drugs and be completely honest about it.



'Before I was like a zombie on prescription medication - now he's got his mom back.'



All of the women say they started ingesting marijuana as a way to manage chronic pain and illness.



Shuman overcame ovarian cancer in 2011. Thomas suffers from early-onset arthritis and Dhillon is still coping with pain after a car crash ten years ago.

The family that tokes together: Thomas and her fiancee 'Henry Hemp' take hits on matching water bongs

Thomas says she wants her young daughter to understand her passion for marijuana

Thomas says her daughter is beginning to understand her marijuana-smoking past time 'It's Just a Plant' is one of the pro-marijuana books Thomas reads to her young daughter This picture, taken at a pro-marijuana rally shows Thomas and 'Henry Hemp' together. Thomas wears a hat that says 'Mrs Hemp' Activists: January Thomas and her fiancee are seen here at a pro-marijuana rally in this undated photo. The couple posed in front of police officers

Up in smoke: Thomas believes there's nothing wrong with smoking marijuana and says it should be legalized everywhere Thomas gets her marijuana from a dispensary because she has a prescription due to pain she says was caused by an accident ten years ago Shuman is seen here inhaling marijuana vapors during a dinner party at her home

Thomas, who smokes marijuana five times a day, says getting high makes her a better parent to her young daughter

