Call me Felicity.

In my teens, I knew lots of stoners who would swap stories of things that happened when they were high, and some who smoked to relax after work. I only tried weed twice. Once, sitting on the swings in a playground with my friend near dusk I had time dilation, felt like I was floating, every sense seemed extra sensitive. I did not see my friend when she walked right in front of me. The second time I choked and coughed and nearly threw up and nothing happened. Never tried it again. Like so many others, I thought weed (marijuana) was for losers who didn’t want to face life or addictive personalities who didn’t like alcoholic drinks. I did not want to be included in either group.

Flash forward to the present. I am a middle-class, law-abiding member of society. I work full-time, am a mother, grandmother and live in a legal medical cannabis state. I take doctor prescribed pharmacy medicines because for now, they work, and I have a great prescription plan through my job.

Old Hippie has wanted me to write here because of my different perspectives. Also, as his wife I have taken a deep interest in his well-being and activities. We have done many things together, including becoming cannabis patients. I have been lurking on Reddit/trees and Beyond Chronic and other sites for the last few years. Time to come out of the garden and speak my piece.

People confide in me because I am a good listener and I do not judge them. I often take on the role of adviser to those younger than myself. A chance discussion led me to research through Granny Storm Crow’s medical cannabis studies list. I was amazed that so many medical conditions can be treated with cannabis…even my own. I now know lots of law-abiding people with illnesses ranging serious to deadly who are legal cannabis patients.

OK, so as a mom, would I want my children to take cannabis? Maybe. If they actually had a medical problem that it could help, especially if we did the same rigorous testing that Old Hippie did when he first started as a medical cannabis patient. Would we try traditional Big Pharma medicines? Sure. Along with herbal teas, dietary and lifestyle changes — whatever we as parents and mature child deemed necessary and beneficial to alleviate the medical problem.

I do not see cannabis as a means to an end, or as the ultimate anything. I see it as a substance that should be added back into the Western medical pharmacopeia ASAP because it works safely on a wide variety of health problems.

What would you do as a parent?