How to talk to your family about cannabis

Introduction

Nowadays cannabis use has become a very mainstream thing in our society. With federal regulation and legalization right around the corner, the stigma and taboo around weed has dulled down.

But that doesn't mean that there aren’t those who are still opposed to cannabis use. And avid anti-weed minded people might even be in your family. So, how could you talk to a family member that is against weed use? How can you talk to your family about cannabis?

In this article we want to answer those questions. Whether you want to let your family know that you consume cannabis, get a family member to treat an illness with weed, or are just trying to open their minds to the demystification of a very therapeutic plant, talking to your family about cannabis can seem overwhelming and scary.

But don’t worry. With these tips and arguments, talking to your family about cannabis will seem like a much less daunting task. Just keep in mind to listen and be open to the idea that you might not get the results you expected.

Changing someone’s mind about something they have believed for their entire lives is harder than you might think, but not impossible. So, just stick to the facts, and be open-minded.

Remember that the way we say things can alter the outcome, so stay zen and keep these tips in mind when talking to your family about cannabis.

Tips on how to talk to Your Family about Weed

We know it can be overwhelming to talk to your family about cannabis. But that’s why here at Hurcann we’ve compiled the top 10 tips on how to talk to your family about this magical plant.

1. Talk about the therapeutic value that Cannabis offers.

Still today, a lot of people are under the impression that cannabis is a harmful drug. They also believe that the medicinal benefits that cannabis is said to have is just a myth. The fact is that it does have a ton of medical benefits to the human body.

Activists actually launched a campaign in the 1990’s to advocate for the medical use of marijuana for AIDS and cancer patients. They were hoping that by demonstrating the positive effects of pain relief in these sick patients, that they would have no choice but to legalize weed thus ending the war on drugs.

The reality is that cannabis is said to help aid patients suffering from a plethora of diseases like:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Appetite loss and eating disorders like anorexia
• Cancer
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Crohn’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Epilepsy and convulsive diseases
• Glaucoma
• Mental health conditions like PTSD or depression
• Muscle spasms
• Chronic Pain
• Seizures
• Wasting Syndrome

There are thousands of scientific and medical reports out there that back this information up. We suggest you read up on the subject before discussing this topic with your family.

They are more likely to listen if you pull up a medical report from The Parkinson’s Foundation advocating for the use of cannabis in Parkinson's patients, for example. You could also casually mention that even the scientists at Harvard University are advocating for the medical benefits of cannabis.

Trust us when we say that they are far more likely to believe you, if you do your homework on people that have a bit more authority on the subject. Not to doubt your credibility, but if a Harvard PhD tenured scientist says weed is a good thing, there has to be something to it.

2. Listen to your family’s concerns and doubts around weed

The key to a successful conversation is listening. You need to keep an open mind when hearing your family’s concerns and doubts so you can later address them in the most empathetic and neutral way possible.

We know it can be easy to become passionate or even frustrated when having this conversation, but remember your objective, keep calm and carry on. If you get upset the chances of your family listening to what you have to say will lessen.

If you listen to their concerns and acknowledge their point of view, they are likely to do the same in return. We actually put together a Q&A list later on in this article that you can refer to. So keep reading for more.

3. Open up about how weed has helped you

A good way to get your family members to open up about cannabis, is sharing with them how it has helped you. There is a very incorrect portrait of the typical stoner that we as cannabis users have to fight through on the daily.

But the fact is that you can live a very productive, happy, and fulfilled lifestyle even if you smoke a joint on the daily. One thing has nothing to do with the other.Talking about your personal experience will make it seem like a much less scary thing.

For example, it has helped me fight my anxiety, become more social, stay energized throughout the day, and gain appetite so I can eat better. We all have a very personal relationship to cannabis. Don’t be afraid to open up about yours.

Don’t forget to explain to them how being “high” feels. There is a lot of propaganda to this day that paints cannabis as far more of a “trip” than it actually is. A lot of people actually think that cannabis is a hallucinogenic drug, when we know that isn’t the case. You know, unless you have an entire tray of magical brownies in one sitting.

4. Have backup ready to go!

There are tons of documentaries you can show your family that will get your point across. And also help educate your family on the history of cannabis.

We recommend Sanjay Gupta’s Weed, a 2013 documentary about how CNN’s chief medical journalist came around to weed and its therapeutic benefits. You could also show them Grass is Greener on Netflix which explains why cannabis became illegal in the first place.

You could also go for a more scientific approach and show them the 2011 PBS documentary, Clearing the smoke: The science of cannabis. This masterpiece will at least get your family thinking. The rest will be up to you.

5. Take a moment to recognize the very few side-effects

Although weed does have some side-effects like light headedness, drowsiness, or in some extreme cases hallucinations, weed isn’t lethal. There have been no overdoses from cannabis. So you might want to start there.

Another point  to cover is that weed is considerably less addictive than any other drug. It’s easier to get hooked on caffeine found in black tea, than it is on weed. Furthermore, it is not considered a gateway drug and scientists have proven that it isn’t a cause for addiction.

You could also mention that cannabis is 114 times less harmful than alcohol and cigarettes. Which is a great way to get them thinking about why alcohol is legal and cannabis isn’t.

Not only that, but pharmaceutical drugs like ketorolac are far more dangerous than weed is. And drugs like ketorolac or diuretics don’t even require a medical prescription, even though the damage they do to the kidney and liver is very well-known in the medical community.

Cannabis has far less dangerous side effects. The main ones being a distorted sense of time, dry mouth, latharga or drowsiness, and lowered inhibitions. In some extreme cases huge doses of cannabis have induced temporary psychosis, but even these cases are very rare.

If you ask us, we would prefer to feel a bit sleepy than have to lose a kidney for having back pain, for example. These kinds of arguments and points are the ones that will probably get your family to lower their guard.

6. Don’t forget to mention the lack of education most doctors have about medical marijuana.

Although medical marijuana is legal in most states now and the pressure to change federal regulations has never been stronger, medical professionals are still a bit in the dark about what cannabis can do for their patients.

This is due to a few reasons. For one the scientific lab-based studies are very limited due to the fact that cannabis remains federally illegal. Another reason is that, because it is illegal, the few doctors that have done their research and are in favor of cannabis, are scared to recommend it in fear of losing their license.

So asking the doctor for their opinion might not be the way to go. But if your family member feels safer talking to a medical professional, go ahead and help her find one that can explain the benefits of cannabis in a bit more detail.

7. Consumption doesn’t equal coughing

One of the things that worry parents the most about cannabis is the possible damage the smoke can do to your body. Smoking in general doesn't have a good reputation, you know because of tobacco (another deadly, highly addictive, legal drug).

Let your family know that there are a lot of smoke-free ways of consuming cannabis, and that a joint is only optional. Nowadays tech has actually gotten pretty wild in the cannabis industry and there are even transdermal patches you can try.

Other than transdermal patches, you can also eat cannabis in edibles, spray your tea with a THC-rich tincture, or spread it in a painful area with a moisturizing balm. This will surely make your family look at cannabis in a whole new light.

8. You don’t have to get “high” when consuming cannabis

Another strong myth around cannabis is that it makes you “high”. Scientifically said, it is a psychoactive drug. The truth of the matter is that cannabis is made up of more than 40 components and only one of those has proven psychoactive effects: THC.

But other than THC, cannabis also has CBD, CBG, HHC, and many other components that have other effects on the body without the “high” that THC produces. And with the scientific advances that modern technology offers the cannabis industry, we have been able to isolate components found in weed.

Meaning, that you can take the “high” part out of the cannabis experience altogether. The regulations for CBD for example are actually moving along a lot faster given it doesn't have effects on the mind and it is only used for therapeutic purposes.

You can actually find a ton of CBD, CBG, HHC products out there already in legal markets all around the world. It has actually become so common that you can now find cannabis products without THC in most gas stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets in most parts of the world.

9. Manage your expectations

Don’t make any big promises to yourself or your loved ones. A good discussion is a neutral discussion where both parties win something and feel like there has been a resolution.

The truth is that when we have a close relationship with cannabis, we can go a bit overboard with our feelings and paint this plant like a magical cure-all type of thing when it isn’t. That is why staying neutral is important. Don’t oversell, just stick to the facts.

It might also be good to keep in mind that cannabis isn’t for everybody and that there are those who have only had bad trips when consuming cannabis. And from experience, we can tell you that most people that don’t have a good high when trying weed got pressured into it.

So, don’t come off pushy. Let the conversation evolve organically. And if it isn’t heading to a productive place, just agree to disagree. True respect is achieved when in spite of not being on the same page, there can still be a loving and empathic dialogue.

At the end of the day, they are your family and that kind of love endures anything. So don’t be afraid to speak your truth, but also allow space for your family to live in theirs.

10. Answer any questions your parents might have about cannabis. Stick to the facts.

When talking to your family about cannabis you can rest assured that they are going to have questions about this “drug”. All we can say is…be prepared! If it shows that you have done your homework and understand this plant, they are far more likely to be more open-minded.

Hey, at the end of the day, the best possible scenario is that you end up lighting a joint with your parents and bond over a good laugh and some great munchies. So go in guns blazing with the “debate” part of the discussion.

Here are some great rebuttals to some very common questions when it comes to weed.

Question	Answer
Q&A about Cannabis
Is Cannabis safe?	It is. Weed has been used since 2800 B.C. and since then, there hasn’t been a single case of overdosing. Some scientists have said that a lethal dose of cannabis for a human would have to be upwards of a ton in weight. It also doesn’t produce any known long-term, potentially fatal diseases like tobacco and alcohol
Can you overdose on Cannabis?	No one has ever overdosed on cannabis. And it has been around since the Chinese dynasty. Some scientists think that it would take 1000000000 mg to overdose from cannabis. The average serving is 20 mg and most products are still at 5-10 mg per dose.
Is Cannabis addictive?	It can be. But not because you create a chemical dependency on the substance, like with tobacco for example. Cannabis is a very complex plant and the relationship we as humans have with it, is even more complex. We actually have an endocannabinoid system in our bodies that have natural receptors for compounds found in cannabis like THC or CBD. The endocannabinoid system has a direct link to our brain, and to our “mind”. And it can serve as an aid to anxiety and depression. So most people that suffer cannabis addiction are actually just psychologically attached to cannabis as a sort of “crutch” so as not to deal with the emotional turmoil they are suffering. Although it can be addictive for some, it also isn’t as hard to stop consuming cannabis than it is tobacco for example. If you don’t struggle with addictive patterns, you shouldn’t have a problem with cannabis. But if you do, you could be more propensed to get hooked and we recommend you tread with precaution.
Is Cannabis a “gateway drug”?	There are multiple studies that prove that there is no evidence to prove that marijuana use leads to harder drugs. There are even some that suggest that cannabis has the contrary effect. Some doctors have found that cannabis reduces cocaine, LSD, and ecstasy addiction. There are thousands of registered cannabis consumers nowadays that go through work-related drug testing and the results are almost always clean from any other substance.
What side effects does consuming Cannabis have?	Other than the ones we already mentioned, THC can induce anxiety in some people. But other than that most of its side effects are actually positive. Consuming cannabis can reduce inflammation, help with antioxidant production in your system, and balance the immune system. There were actually tons of articles that came out during the COVID outbreak that found that cannabis users were far less likely to contract the virus.
Doesn’t Cannabis make you “space out”?	Cannabis can have a plethora of effects over the body and mind. Some strains actually do the opposite and make you feel more energized and creative. The strains that induce a “sleep-like state of perception” are mainly indica. But like we mentioned there are tons of components in cannabis. And each serves different purposes. If you don’t like “spacing-out” it’s just a matter of finding the right strain. You can always check out guides to make you feel more secure with your decision.
Doesn’t Cannabis make you extremely hungry?	Again, it depends on the compound and strain. Some are even appetite suppressing. Some can give you raging hunger, and to be honest it can get dangerous if you’re dieting. But you can always check what the strain you want to consume does for the appetite. The strains that make you hungry are actually used to treat patients with eating disorders so that their re-entry into consuming food isn’t as rough as it would be without cannabis.
Doesn’t Cannabis cause psychosis?	If you have a mental illness history, then it might not be a good idea to consume cannabis. But if you have always had good mental health, you shouldn’t have any problems when consuming weed.

 

And remember, if you don’t know the answer to something they ask. Tell them that you will investigate and get back to them with more facts. There are thousands of articles online, just like this one that can make your journey to acceptance from your family a slam-dunk mission.

Conclusion

Even if you don’t get the results you would have liked from this conversation with your family. Feel proud that you took the necessary steps and tried your best to come to a resolve and live your best life.

At the end of the day, the relationship we have with cannabis is a very intimate and individual journey. And remember, they might just need more time to come to peace with the decision you have made for yourself.

And if you are successful, then thank yourself for having the courage to speak your truth because it took you to have a more honest and open relationship with the people you love the most: your family.

If you liked the content from this article, feel free to share it with your friends or colleagues who are thinking about talking to their families about cannabis. And let them know that you support their decision.

Do you have a good tip on conversations? Have you already talked to your family about cannabis? Feel free to share your own experiences in the comment section below, and keep track of the content to come! You’re going to love it!