Parents can’t hide their cannabis use, forcing conversations with kids in self-isolation amid COVID-19

In the last two weeks, many parents have been put in a difficult spot due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to the shutdown of many businesses, public schools, and parks.

For many parents in Canada, life has become a juggling act to manage work, life and taking care of the kids.

And for a growing number of parents comes the issue around talking to their kids about their parents’ cannabis use.

A recent Ipsos poll showed that 37 per cent of Canadian parents say they use cannabis. That’s a sizeable jump compared to when the poll was conducted back in 2018. That year, just 26 per cent of parents said they would classify themselves as marijuana users.

As legal cannabis becomes more widely accepted by the public, an increasing number of Canadian parents are getting into using marijuana in its various forms.

For parents in self-isolation with their children, the difficult conversation of cannabis use can be both tricky and intimidating at first, but it can also be a necessary tool to help educate kids on their parents’ legal recreational hobby.

Adine Fabiani-Carter, Chief Marketing Officer of High Park Company, which focuses on the adult use of cannabis in Canada, says the best way to address this topic is to open up a dialogue.

“It’s a legal product and so, because it’s legal, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t have open dialogue about it the same way you might talk to your kids about alcohol, which feels like a responsible thing to do as a parent, I think you do the same thing with cannabis,” Fabiani-Carter said.

She says that when talking to their children, parents should let them ask questions regarding cannabis use. Fabiani-Carter adds that when it comes to marijuana, especially when it involves weed edibles, it’s important that parents set ground rules for their kids.

“What we all need to remind our children is that this is a product for adults. You do need to be over the legal age. It’s not something for kids to consume,” she said.

When it comes to the proper way to store marijuana based products, Fabiani-Carter says that even though all legal Ontario cannabis comes in child proof packaging, it’s still up the parents to make sure it’s placed in a spot where kids can’t get at it.

“We all know how to keep anything from a tide pod to an alcohol product out of the hands of kids. With cannabis, it’s the same thing. Be responsible in terms of where you store it and how you store it to ensure that it remains solely for use for someone over the age of 19,” she said.

For those that are still unsure, there are many websites and guides to help educate parents about cannabis use. Just after marijuana became legal in the country, the Government of Canada put out a cannabis use guide. In it, Health Canada detailed some things parents should look for if they decide to engage in marijuana use.

For parents just starting to get into cannabis based products, Fabiani-Carter says the best way to start is to take it slow.

“The same advice I would give to people, we always say with cannabis is, regardless of your self isolation or not, we tell people to start low and go slow,” Fabiani-Carter said.

“So when you’re trying a new product, make sure you do it in the safest way possible. Each product will hit each individual differently based on your own personal body chemistry. So don’t overdo it.”

Fabiani-Carter says the best way for parents to get comfortable when it comes to talking about cannabis use with their kids is to understand that in Canada, it just isn’t taboo anymore.

“It’s not a forbidden topic anymore, so we should all be speaking openly and plainly about it, and educating ourselves together.”