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A large family has dinner for the holidays, by Nicole Michalou via Pexels

Talking To Your Family About Cannabis During The Holidays

High There

By High There

December 31, 2019

The holidays are a time for connecting with loved ones, sharing great meals, and (for the most part) great conversation. Before the Internet, you could have gotten away with sharing an opinion on something on a controversial topic and have it be a fascinating revelation. Unfortunately, now that won’t quite do because everyone and their mother (yes, even your mom) is an expert at everything.

Even if your family isn’t privy to every intricacy of marijuana culture, they will probably have a canned soundbite that they got from the news or their favorite politician to regurgitate to make it seem like they’re hip with the times. This can make having a discussion about cannabis during the holidays with your folks about as unbearable as a conversation about the birds and the bees on your 10th birthday. With that being said, let’s give you an arsenal of information to recall at the dinner table during the holidays when the topic of discussion is cannabis.

Talking About The Finer Qualities Of Cannabis

Cannabis (aka marijuana, ganja, Mary Jane, super stinky purple punch, etc.) gets a bad rap even years after many states have passed legalization efforts across the country. The main argument that many Americans have against cannabis is that its main ingredient, THC, has psychoactive properties, sometimes causing users to hallucinate for hours (depending on the strain and dosage).

Although THC may have some mind-bending effects, it also has been shown to affect appetite and may reduce inflammation. But cannabis isn’t just THC. It’s made up of a myriad of other compounds that may help regulate 

, treat , and reduce , without leaving the user high at all. It is precisely these compounds that some of the brightest scientists in the world are studying the effects on in hopes of finding cures for diseases and health problems that have plagued the world for decades.

How To Approach The Classic ‘Weed Is Illegal’ Conversation

Although weed is still nationally illegal, there are many politicians that are relaxed their opinion on marijuana after seeing its medicinal benefits for those suffering from various cancers and mental health problems. These positives still don’t stop it from being a hot top of conversation amongst many of the more old fashioned Americans.

 The fact remains that if you live in one of the

in the U.S., cannabis is legal. If you qualify for a medical condition in 33 states and get a medical card, it’s legal. At this point, there are only a handful of states and that number is dwindling to less states every year. Approaching this conversation as a means of educating your family on the facts of the state laws may help them to see just how many states are onboard with marijuana legalization.

Combatting the ‘Weed Is Super Addictive Though’ Argument

This topic of discussion should be a little more difficult to answer as the only thing you need to ask is if they have ever heard of someone overdosing and/or dying from ingesting too much weed (either orally or via smoking). Whereas

and both are incredibly addictive and kill millions of people every year, the THC found in marijuana has much and has only been linked to the deaths of .

However you plan to steer your conversations about cannabis with your family during the holidays, you should focus on educating and staying calm rather than trying to storm the conversation guns ‘a blazing. If you’ve said your peace and they still don’t see your point of view on the subject, don’t push it, just relax and live to fight the good fight another day.

High There

About The Author

High There

HIGH THERE MISSION

WE’RE A CREATIVE COMMUNITY — EXPLORING THE SCIENCE, CRAFT, AND CULTURE OF CANNABIS.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS ERADICATING THE STIGMA, MISINFORMATION, AND INEQUITIES SURROUNDING THIS PLANT, SO WE CAN UNLOCK ITS TRUE POTENTIAL FOR ALL.