Half of parents admit smoking marijuana in a new poll
Nearly half of parents who use marijuana admitted doing so in front of or with their children, according to a new poll by Yahoo! News and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
The poll found that 47 percent of those who self-reported cannabis consumption did so in full view or alongside their children, who were usually adults, according to Yahoo in its series titled Weed & the American Family.
'We're a family that smokes cannabis together,' said a young woman, seated between what appeared to be a sibling and her father.
All of the 1,122 Americans included in the survey were ages 18 and older.
A new poll found that 47 percent of those who self-reported cannabis consumption did so in full view or alongside their children, who were usually adults, according to Yahoo in its series titled Weed & the American Family; a family who 'smokes cannabis together' is seen here
Another key finding from the study included that over half, at 52 percent, of all of the subjects included had tried marijuana at some point in their lives.
Of those users, 54 percent are currently parents who are currently using the drug, while 65 percent of those who have used at some point, maybe not currently, now have children.
This means that marijuana use in general is well positioned to become a major element in family dynamics and discussions, according to Yahoo's analysis.
This family has used the drug to treat their child's seizures; 'Several years ago we started treating our daughter's epilespy with cannabis,' the father said
'I am the mama of two beautiful girls and I used cannabis to treat my Postpartum Depression,'
With more and more states legalizing marijuana across the country, for either medical or recreational use, or both, that's likely to be true.
One woman explained how cannabis helped her through post-pregnancy issues.
'I am the mama of two beautiful girls and I used cannabis to treat my Postpartum Depression,' she said.
Another family has used the drug to treat their child's seizures.
'Several years ago we started treating our daughter's epilespy with cannabis,' the father said.
But not everyone is so pro-pot. In the states that haven't yet legalized the plant's consumption, legal ramifications for users may be severe.
'If you are concerned about your children smoking cannabis, your concern needs to be more about what happens to your children if they get a felony for smoking cannabis,' one woman said.
This woman mentioned the harsh reality that cannabis use can lead to a criminal record
The doesn't just apply to America's youth. Another woman explained that her husband has been incarcerated for growing the plant.
'My husband Paul is getting ready to finish a long prison sentence simply for growing cannabis,' she said.
The fact remains that, technically speaking, selling or possessing marijuana is still a federal crime, even if not regularly enforced against the occasional user.
Criminal repercussions don't just apply to America's youth; Another woman explained that her husband has been incarcerated for growing the plant
While social attitudes towards cannabis tend to be shifting, stigma still remains.
Even though more than one quarter of users say they’ve consumed marijuana in front of or with their own parents, the flip side of that is that '79 percent of Americans said they would have less respect for a parent who uses marijuana in front of their child — and even among those who use the drug occasionally, 64 percent agree,' according to Yahoo.
Regardless, at present, medical marijuana has been legalized in 28 states plus Washington, DC, and eight states and Washington, DC have made it legal for recreational use. These numbers are current to 2016 election results.