Today’s generation of Mammas and Pappas aren’t exactly pinning sunflowers in their hair and trolling The Haight, but the image of the average American pot smoker is no longer mixed with the stereotype of the flower power generation either. A growing number of parents in the US are partaking in the toke for recreational and self-medication reasons, and parental-types in the St. Louis area are not to be excluded.

St. Louis chiropractor and family wellness specialist, Dr. Carrie Jardine, said that the majority of her patients who admit they smoke pot are women between the ages of 35 and 55. She added that because of the type of work she does, she is often tipped off that something is going on, “There are areas of the body that signal a chemical toxicity, and so I ask the patient, ‘Are you on 2 or more medications, eating a boat load of sugar, or [do you] take recreational drugs?’ Now, if they trust me and know I’m wanting to help them be their healthiest, they’ll admit what it was.”

One St. Louis Mom, Elizabeth*, says she smokes for both medicinal and recreational reasons, but knows of a lot of metro-area parents who choose to forgo the booze for herb to unwind, “Most parents we know smoke regularly, and are occasional drinkers.  My father received a liver transplant, due to alcohol-related sclerosis, and as a result I very rarely drink, and do so sparingly.  We have a few friends who don’t smoke, but drink- and some of them in excess.” She added, “I rarely talk about this to anyone, but I have come to find out that there are several ‘smoker’ parents at my son’s private school… Even an executive at ***** Hospital!”

While many parents keep their marijuana usage a secret from their children for fear of the impact it would have on their behaviors and own explorations, there are some parents and families who are not so veiled about their usage.

An adult child of a “notorious pot head,” Christine*, believes her experiences with her Mom and Dad’s use had a definite impact on her choices, but also marred the way she viewed her parents. She explained that her parents, extended family, and their friends we very open with their use all of her life. It was common for her parents to smoke around her, to the point where she saw it as a normal part of adult socializing. And she says she has memories of pot dating back as early as three years old. “Now that I think back, I was probably contact high for a good deal of my childhood. I tried smoking a few times when I was teen, but it never really caught on. I never smoke with or in front of my mom.  I snuck off and tried it [with] cousins.” She went on to say, “In college I went through a pious stage and tried to save my parents (my dad smokes, too but not as much as my mom) from themselves.  I was really ashamed of their behavior.”

Though Christine’s experience was at one extreme of the spectrum, there are many children who are aware of their parents’ smoking on a much smaller scale. Many parents, however, work hard to hide their smoking from their kiddos. While Elizabeth does smoke recreationally, she mainly decided to smoke pot for medicinal reasons as opposed to taking opiate pain medications as prescribed by her doctors, but she and her husband smoke only after her son has gone to sleep. She said, “We have tried our best to conceal it from our son.  When it has come up in conversation, we have answered matter-of-factly that it was a drug, and that the effect is about the same as drinking alcohol.” She added that though they have never smoked in front of him, she knows he has been exposed to it by other family members who are much more open, “I won’t be surprised if he ever starts, but I would kick his ass if he ever tried while living at home.”

Dr. Jardine has seen many people who use pot and many other addictive substances, like sugar and alcohol, to self medicate the emotional and physical problems they face. She believes this isn’t the ultimate answer, “The real underlying issues aren’t addressed and the physical, emotional, and relationship problems are compounded with these addictions.”

Over time, Christine has come to terms with her parents’ usage and she now believes that pot should be decriminalized, but she still sees it’s negative impact. She worries about her mother’s habits, but says, “Weed heads really are calm people and it’s just not right to throw someone in jail over it.  However, it still is a drug and it can suck your life away if you do it too much.”

Recently St. Charles County banned the sale of K2, a popular substance that imitates the effects of marijuana with a chemical compound similar to that found naturally in the pot leaf. And though there have been medicinal use bills before state government many times, marijuana remains illegal in the state of Missouri for all purposes. But, like Elizabeth, more and more St. Louis parents prefer to remedy pain and sleep problems, or relax and kick back after a long week, with a ‘puff, puff, give’ instead of popping the top off a pill bottle or beer.

We would like to hear from you (anonymously of course)- take our poll, “Do you partake of the weed?” located over in the right hand sidebar!

*Identities have been changed to protect the privacy of the families who graciously spoke for this story

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