On This Mother’s Day

When my two year old son told the pediatrician that, “Mommy sells pills and Daddy is in jail” he was correct on a certain level. I am a Pharmacist.  My husband was a correction officer in a prison.  His young self saw us this way. We still laugh at  what a difference perspective can make on a situation.  But never in all the years I've been a Pharmacist would I have thought that I would end up employed in a medical marijuana dispensary.

I would say my children were a big part of my change of heart with marijuana. (Funny to reread that sentence now). But, I can remember them asking me if I were put in the situation of helping them, what I would do.  I didn’t really think twice, of course. I would try anything to help my children and give them a better quality of life. So what did I know about marijuana at the time? Basically nothing other than there were crazy names for these flowering plants that made people high. I had so much to learn and dove into reading everything I could get my hands on.

It was a gradual process of moving from retail to where I am today. But working in a dispensary wasn't something that we could jump up and tell everyone. If asked where I worked we usually just mentioned that I am a Pharmacist at “a small place in Uniontown” without further details. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed.  Some people are still in the mindset marijuana is harmful and can be a gateway drug.. Let’s face it, a lot of us  grew up watching an egg frying in a pan telling us that it  was our  brain on drugs. Not everyone has let that go yet.

In class, my daughter would take notes on drugs and then come home to ask me questions. Not much has changed from earlier education in schools yet. But her knowledge on marijuana quite frankly stunned me.  I guess what I’m trying to say here, is that not talking to your kids about marijuana doesn’t mean they are not exposed and approached about it. It is a movement we need to talk about, ask questions and understand better.

So this Mother’s Day, I’d like to wish all the canna moms a great day- those raising children in this age with mixed signals and lingering stigma.