As a child, most of my family members were adamantly against marijuana use in every form.
- I was raised to believe that cannabis was the ultimate gateway drug to harder drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.
When I was busted for smoking a joint at 17, my parents threatened to send me to rehab immediately. I was eager to leave home and attend college in another state because I knew it would give me more freedom away from my oppressive family and their draconian rules. It was nice attending school at a hippy liberal arts college where the campus police cared more about underage drinking than students smoking pot in their dorm rooms. Despite my heavy cannabis use, I graduated college with a high GPA and went to graduate school soon thereafter. Now that I’ve been in the workforce for a number of years, I’m shocked to learn that many of my family members are all using CBD products for various reasons. My dad is using CBD cream for back pain while my mother consumes CBD tinctures for her anxiety problems. When I asked them if they still felt the same way about marijuana as they did when I was a teenager, they admitted that they were at fault back then. It’s refreshing to hear people like my parents admit that they’re wrong from time to time, even if just at a minimal level. They’re benefiting greatly from being open minded and willing to try something new in the face of pre-existing biases. I told them that they’re great role models for their willingness to both accept and embrace marijuana after so many years of unnecessary hatred.