Remember when you tried to keep your kids away from pot? Remember? It wasn't that long ago. And now? Now your kids are trying to get you stoned! Or at the very least, they want you to consider cannabis for all those aches, pains and anxieties that seem to accompany aging.
Yes, we've lived long enough to see a major shift in cannabis's status, both legally and culturally, that was unthinkable just a short time ago in the midst of an endless and irrational War on Drugs. We grew up, you and I, in a time when mere possession meant jail time, lost opportunities and a tarnished reputation. People who smoked the herb were considered outcasts, misfits and criminals.
Cannabis was labeled a gateway drug to more insidious things like heroin. Those of us who smoked experienced paranoia and anxiety over our use. Now we know that most of the paranoia was culturally induced and not inherent to the plant.
Like a lot else in our lifetimes, views about cannabis have been completely overturned and a majority of people now view its effects as beneficial, healing and harmless. We won that part of the revolution at least!
But maybe you never used cannabis at all when you were younger (you were an exception!) and are now considering it solely for its medicinal qualities, searching for a safe and affordable alternative to toxic and addictive pharmaceuticals. Good news! You can now experience the benefits of cannabis without getting high.
Perhaps you quit using cannabis years ago because, after all, we're grown-ups and that's for kids. Maybe you quit because of the social and legal stigmas. Many of us in the boomer generation were committed cannabis users when we were young, but gave it up for one reason or another.
It was part of our culture and a symbol of our rebellion against those old folks. Well, now we're those old folks and because of our youthful experiences, we're a different kind of old. We're ready and willing to return to one of our early loves, but aren't quite sure how to go about it.
We need education in this brave new world of dispensaries and delivery services offering vapes, extracts, designer strains, edibles, tinctures...the list of new applications and terms is bewildering and endless. Sometimes, we even need to re-learn how to ingest cannabis after being away for so long. The strains are stronger and even edibles require some judicious personal testing. If it's been a while, you'll need to re-enter slowly. It's important to ask yourself: is this you?
Or maybe you never stopped using cannabis as a life enhancer and can now come out of that herb closet. Oh happy day! No more sketchy meetings with dealers and even sketchier products. Cannabis has been unchained and is yours to enjoy openly. It's O.K. to brag about your lifelong use. You're a veteran!
You want to use it recreationally? You enjoy getting high and the extra qualities it gives to music, food and sex? Nothing wrong with that! Feel no guilt! There have been no reported deaths from cannabis, while other drugs such as alcohol have long lethal histories.
The urge to expand the mind and its possibilities is universal. The need to relax and chill out is hard-wired into our psyches. Don't listen to those who would legislate or condone only one state of mind. They are not your friends.
Do you consider it a spiritual additive? For many of us Boomers, cannabis went hand in hand with new ways of perceiving our lives, things like yoga, meditation and Zen. It was no coincidence that these new ways of perception came to life along with widespread use of cannabis. Cannabis seems to alter behavior and outlooks, and dare I say it, makes us more sensitive and connected people. The kids call it “woke.”
Yes, our generation, in many ways, woke up from a centuries long slumber during which exploitation, war and greed ravaged the planet. With the help of cannabis, many us of said “No!” to the unenlightened behavior of our elders.
Well, now we suddenly find ourselves to be the elders! Can we re-claim that great cultural gift our generation gave the world? Can we help build a new, more conscious world with the help of our children? Welcome home to cannabis if you've been away for a decade or three. Welcome to a whole new world of cannabis experience. Welcome to a whole new way of aging with lightness, awareness and gratitude. Welcome back to your life.
And as for how to deal with your kids who are pushing cannabis on you? Remember; the family that shares smoke together, gets woke together. Take it from Mu.
-Padre
Read more of Mel Ash’s work at melash.com