Maternal Instinct

Moms for Marijuana lends a hand to show that cannabis cares

Women—mothers in particular—are becoming a powerful new force in the ongoing campaign to legalize marijuana, with 8-year-old international advocacy group Moms for Marijuana leading the way.

Founded eight years ago by Serra Frank, a student and mother of two, Moms for Marijuana seeks to educate ignorant lawmakers and the largely misinformed public about the safe use and the multitude of benefits the plant has to offer. The group—which has chapters across Southern California—also seeks to eliminate the stereotype that all marijuana smokers are dreadlocked hippies wasting their life away listening to reggae in their dorm rooms by presenting a more conservative, professional face to the movement.

“It was a really good place for me because it’s a really positive group,” says Tricia Smith, leader of the chapter from Yakima County, Washington. She wholeheartedly believes that marijuana cured her stage-four cancer, which she fought without chemotherapy or radiation 20 years ago. It’s hard to believe, she admits, but it’s true, and she wants others who are in pain to know her story before resigning to suffering. “[Moms for Marijuana is] an information-spreading group and that was important to me because education was lacking in the cannabis field, which is filled with bigotry and hate and special interests.”

Denver Chapter leader Lanette Johnson swears she was staunchly anti-drug until she turned 40. “I knew that it was medically legal here in Colorado, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about that because I grew up so anti-drugs,” she explains. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the health care field—I was the kind of person who needed proof. I believed in Big Pharma and scientific research.” But when traditional medications failed to provide her any relief from her chronic pain disorder, she gave medical marijuana a shot.

It changed her life. But she decided to be open with her children about her usage, which proved tricky. Her younger son, who was still living at home at the time, aced the D.A.R.E. program while in school, so when she came to him and explained to him that she needed to use marijuana to manage her pain, he told her, “Wait, I don’t understand.” Seventy-five years of propaganda is still doing its job, Johnson realized. So she decided to offset the “half-assed” truths espoused by the program officers and teach her son about the very real health benefits of medical marijuana.

“In Colorado, it’s such a part of our culture now, “ she explains. “It’s part of our lives. We see it everywhere. It’s part of our economy. It might as well be legal—for all intents and purposes.”

Moms for Marijuana continues to grow rapidly; its network is now global, which chapters all around the world. Moms for Marijuana has over 25,000 fans on Facebook and 6,000 on Twitter, and its online success has inspired the launch of a second community called Dads for Marijuana.

“There is a need for this, for people who to say, ‘Hey, listen, it’s not just teenagers who use this and it’s not just for recreational usage,’” says Johnson. “We need to be realistic and honest about this plant. It has wonderful opportunities.”

www.momsformarijuana.com

Not Kid-ding Around

Considering Moms for Marijuana’s membership, children figure prominently in the group’s philosophy. The group believes “our children should be educated on all aspects of cannabis; from the thousands of medical,  recreational, industrial, agricultural, environmental, spiritual and economic benefits—to the repercussions, risks and history associated with the cannabis plant.” And good parenting always prevails when it comes to children’s exposure to cannabis: “Marijuana should not be used by developing minds under the age of legal consent, without parental guidance, as well as the recommendation and continuous evaluation by a licensed medical physician.”