LA weed-smoking moms give tips on how to talk to preschoolers about why mommy needs to get high to play with them

Weed-smoking moms are taking a stand in LA, stating that it's not just dads who can get high, but moms too, and that there should be no stigma attached to that.

At a meeting of moms who tout the virtues of getting high before dealing with their children, journalist Adam Tschorn of the LA Times observed Wendy Brazill, author of children's book Why Mommy Gets High, and her friends talking about "marijuana and motherhood."

These four moms believe fully in the virtue of getting high in order to parent their children. Three of the mothers Tschorn spoke to have toddlers at home, and have spoken to their children positively about their proclivities toward drug use.

Shonitria Anthony, of the podcast "Blunt Blowin Mama," told Tschorn that "The whole key is to get them before schools get to them. You want to relay your message first and let them know that you are the authority on this. So they'e not going to be life, 'But my teacher said, but my counselor said, but my friend said.' It's 'This is what my mom said.'"

Enter Brazill's self-published book Why Mommy Gets High, which is intended for parents to read to their pre-schoolers so they can explain to their children how normal it is that they should prefer to be with them while high.

Tschorn writes that Brazill believes "Why Mommy Gets High could be an appropriate part of the pot-and-parenting discussion starting with preschool-age children."

"I think that it would be a wonderful book for you to read to your kids so that they understand why Mommy’s freaking out," Brazill told Tschorn, who wrote additionally that "the book also would help explain why Mommy steps away for a few minutes and then returns saying, 'Hey, I feel much better!'"

The book, which explains to children why their parents would rather be stoned while parenting, is intended to be "a children's book to explain why some parents choose to use marijuana as a way to relax and connect with their kids."

Brazill wrote the book to explain to kids "that marijuana used in moderation by adults is not some scary evil substance, but rather a potentialy [sic] wonderful aid in helping parents to relax, connect, and enjoy their children."

Brazill said that she believes "absolutely" that getting high made her a better mother to her blended family of six children, all of whom are now adults. She claims that "Conversations were deeper. Our playtime was more enjoyable. In my head I wasn’t thinking about the bills I had to pay and things I needed to get done before tomorrow. I was actually able to sit with [my kids], enjoy them."

For Tschorn, getting high while taking care of children is just another form of "self-care to address the challenges and stresses of motherhood." Weed is now a massive industry across the US in states that have legalized the substance, and Tschorn writes that as it's become more socially acceptable, the self-care "conversation includes more moms who find a little weed does what a glass or two of Chardonny did for their moms by taking the edge off after a long day of raising those little bundles of joy."

The goal of this article seems to be to destigmatize mothers who like to get high while actively parenting their children. One mom at the meet-up, Angie Stocker said that "burnout" and "stress" lead her to get high while engaging with her children.

Stocker claims that when she gets high and plays with her kids, ages 3 and 6, she doesn't worry about the mess they're making, and it even makes her better at playing LEGO.

"Cannabis can help you to be like 'I am in this moment,' so you're not thinking about the mess," she told Tschorn. Stocker's life intersects with weed and the weed industry all over the place. She works as a receptionist at a marijuana dispensary and also has an Etsy shop where she sells "weed themed merchandise."

He writes "For what it's worth, Stocker said the right dose of cannabinoids also makes her better at building Lego megastructures. "I can really zone in and be like 'Boom! Spider-Man's playhouse!'"

Another mom, Alyssa Wraylie, said that getting high while parenting is nothing like getting high during other phases of life. Her kids are ages 6 and 9, and she says she's a "mom, herbalist, and nurse."

"This isn't like when you're in college and you're getting stoned and falling asleep on the couch," she told Tschorn, going on to explain that the high she experiences while getting stoned and parenting is "a very active high."

Wraylie claims that the high enhances her ability to parent. "You're doing all the things of your daily living — and more because you're doing it for a little being," she said, "and then you have to be present and interested in it. And you know, the world is a really stressful place. It always has been, and these days it's not getting any better."

Anthony said that she explained to her 7-year-old that marijuana is a medicine that has "healing properties."

"'Mama likes to use this as medicine," she tells her child, "'It makes me feel better,' and they understand that."