While dads notoriously get in trouble for getting lit while watching the kids, they rarely get credit for becoming a calmer, more patient and creative parent with the help of cannabis.
Dads who toke tend to buck trends, but many claim that when they take care of themselves with cannabis, they can make play times more exciting, supper times more delightful, and storytimes more engaging. Sex and relationship advice columnist (slash, activist) Dan Savage didn’t smoke pot until he was 34-years-old, but once told the now-defunct The Cannabist that he couldn’t sit and play cars with his son for two hours unless he was high. Dan also regularly recommends pot to couples who are looking to reconnect; maybe another reason it should be a part of “dad life.” Art dealer Mark Wolfe agrees. In his 2012 op-ed for the New York Times, Mark wrote about how pot makes him a better parent. Pretty brave for 2012!
As a dad and businessman, Bay Area rapper MC Zumbi wants to stay functional and present when using cannabis. And the best way he’s found to do that is low-dose mints made by a local Oakland cannabis confection company. The 17-year rap game veteran needs to focus at work, and by taking small doses of cannabis, or microdosing, the high is very manageable. “As an adult now trying to be more aware of myself — I just like the smaller doses.” But there’s no one way to be a good pot dad. Take, for instance, stand up comedian and UFC announcer Joe Rogan who smokes tons of pot and talks on his podcast about spending plenty of time with his three daughters.
With cannabis prohibition slowly fading away, pot-smoking papas — and there are plenty of them already — are feeling safe to come out about their little secret. In Canada, where recreational use is now legal, the person passing you a joint here is likely a dad, according to a recent report from Deloitte. Specifically, they predict a shift from the average smoker being 18 to 34 years old to the 35 to 54-years-old, a group they’re calling the “conservative experimenter.” “Legalization may provide some Canadians with the opportunity to occasionally return to their younger days — legally,” the report theorizes.
The next time you smell something skunky coming from dad’s garage, now you know he’s just transporting back to his salad days.
