Teaching your parents about cannabis is like teaching a baby how to walk. It takes time, it takes the right environment, it takes education, and a few falls here and there. Eventually, the baby walks and eventually your parents will grow to understand cannabis. The question you must ask yourself is are you ready to teach? If so, consider adding these five tips to your lesson plan to make educating your parents about cannabis a slow ride––take it easy.
- Know thy history. A great way to dive into this topic is by starting with the history of cannabis. Start from the beginning (if you can) and walk through the evolution of cannabis agriculturally, socially, politically, economically, and religiously. Starting here will help paint a picture of how cannabis/ hemp has affected the world beyond getting stoned and eating yourself and your parents out of house and home.
- Expose them to the culture. There’s a culture behind cannabis? Yes, there are literal social groups that gather to celebrate their love of marijuana. Think Cannabis Cup or MJBizCon or fans of Wiz Khalifa. Not all are the typical archetypes, hippy, and peace-loving. Some wear suits and are lawyers or business owners. Exposing your parents to a wide variety of faces in cannabis culture will help them understand it at a social and communal level.
- Talk about medicinal/ recreational benefits. This is probably one of the most important subtopics to cover under cannabis education. Knowing why people use and consume the herb––as well as how it’s used recreationally will bring clarity to how weed is integrated on a personal level. It’s important to understand the ways this plant can be used. Everyone has their own reason for taking part whether it’s to ward off seizures or to relax after a long day at work.
- Share your personal journey with cannabis. You’re an adult now––well if you’re reading this blog you should be over 21––so, that means if your parents are asking you to educate them about cannabis it might be a good time to insert your own experience. Honestly, you know your parents better than I do so gauge the situation. If you think you have the green light then think about why you personally chose to utilize cannabis in your everyday life. Then, maybe this will inform how you can start unraveling your journey with marijuana.
- Be open. Teaching anyone––let alone your parents––takes patience and time. If you don’t have either––you might want to leave your position as a lecturer at the University of Southern Cannabis. But if you’re up for the task, think about how you felt when you were a baby stoner. What was your education process like for you? What would you do differently? What would stay the same? All of these questions will help shape your lesson plan, which can be a formal or informal process. The choice is yours! PowerPoints and graphs anyone?