Breaking Silence & Building Trust: Cannabis, Family, and the Weight of Truth

The Cannabis Parent: Redefining Responsibility While Running a Business and Raising a Family

There’s a part of modern life nobody prepares you for: trying to raise a family while building something of your own. There’s the work of nurturing your children and the parallel work of sustaining a business. They demand presence, vision, patience, and consistent decision-making. These responsibilities rarely alternate or take turns.

From the outside, the structure might seem achievable. Digital calendars, well-planned schedules, and carefully constructed routines can create an image of order. Inside that image, however, the reality is far more layered. The mental load of parenting and entrepreneurship is not simply about time. It reaches into your emotional capacity, your energy, your ability to hold space for everyone and everything, including yourself.

This is where cannabis has become part of my reality. It did not arrive as a dramatic turning point or a crutch. It entered my life as a tool. A small shift. A moment of pause.

I don’t use it to numb myself or disappear. I use it to reconnect with myself, to step back from the noise, and to manage the steady pressure that comes from being responsible for so many moving parts. It works alongside everything else I do to support my well-being. And it helps me stay present in the middle of a life that does not slow down.

The Load of Leadership and Love

There is a very specific kind of pressure that comes from being the one others rely on. Parents hold the emotional pulse of their home, expected to stay calm, attentive, and nurturing through unpredictable waves of behavior and emotion. Entrepreneurs, in turn, are expected to show up with creativity, discipline, confidence, and clarity even when they are tired or unsure.

Living at the intersection of these two roles means constantly being needed. Not in an abstract way, but in a minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour rhythm that often feels relentless. There is no pause button. There are no guaranteed breaks.

I tried for a long time to handle everything on my own. I still lean on many supports such as creative therapy, movement, meditation, and journaling, but cannabis became a part of my routine because it helps me shift into a different gear when I need it most. It gives me the ability to transition, to breathe more deeply, and to soften into the moment.

What Responsible Cannabis Use Looks Like in My Life

There is still a cultural assumption that cannabis use is reckless or adolescent. That idea erases the very real and thoughtful ways adults integrate it into lives filled with responsibility, structure, and care.

In my life, cannabis use is planned, purposeful, and transparent.

I use it intentionally and in moderation. My preference is to consume in the evenings, when the day’s responsibilities have been met. I often choose low-dose options such as edibles or flower, depending on the kind of support I need. This is not about getting high. It’s about gently recalibrating.

I avoid use during active parenting hours. When I am the only adult present and actively responsible for my children, cannabis is not part of the equation. I respect the level of attention and presence that parenting requires, and I maintain that standard without compromise.

Everything is stored safely. I treat cannabis as I would any other adult-use or medicinal item in the house. It is locked, clearly labeled, and kept far out of reach. Safety is the first step toward normalization.

My use is communicated and supported. My partner and I talk openly about cannabis. We check in with each other, adjust routines when needed, and remain aware of how it affects our responsibilities. These conversations are normal in our home.

There is no secrecy. Just honesty, boundaries, and care.

How I Approach This With My Kids

As a parent, I know that one of the most powerful things I can offer my children is clarity. That includes clarity about cannabis.

At their current ages, our conversations are basic. They know cannabis is for adults. They know it is a sacred herb. They know it is stored away. They understand that it is not something for them, and they also understand the extreme and exigent circumstances under which children themselves may be prescribed cannabis as a treatment option.

As they grow, I plan to share more. I want them to know what cannabis is, how it works, and why some adults use it. I also want them to understand risk, choice, and boundaries. These are lessons that extend far beyond any single substance.

I will approach cannabis just like I do other important topics, through honesty, respect, and developmentally appropriate information. I will not use fear. I will not use shame.

That approach doesn’t create permissiveness. It creates trust.

Stigma Still Exists…Even Now

Despite how far we’ve come, there are still settings where talking about cannabis feels risky. Even in legal states. Even in progressive spaces. Even among people who claim to value transparency and wellness.

Parents who use cannabis are often held to a different standard. Entrepreneurs who talk about it publicly risk being seen as not serious or irresponsible. And women, in particular, face a specific kind of judgment for daring to care for themselves on their own terms.

I’ve heard the jokes and the casual dismissal. I’ve also seen who is allowed to be open and who is not. There is an unevenness in how we are perceived, and that unevenness is shaped by race, class, gender, and history.

This is one reason why I choose to speak about it now. Silence doesn’t make stigma go away. Conversation does.

There’s a Whole Community Out Here

One of the most reassuring things I’ve discovered is how many people are already living this truth. Other parents. Other founders. Other caregivers. People who are balancing deeply complex lives and using cannabis as one part of how they manage it all.

We’ve traded stories, shared tips, and held space for the full spectrum of experience. There is no single right way to do this. But there is so much wisdom in our shared lived experience.

Cannabis is part of the wellness conversation. It belongs there.

Putting It Into Perspective

Cannabis is not the reason I succeed as a parent or a business owner. What makes me successful is the intention I bring to every part of my life. Cannabis supports that intention.

It helps me rest so I can show up strong. It helps me release tension so I can make decisions with clarity. It helps me care for my body, my emotions, and my nervous system in a world that rarely pauses on its own.

This is not a secret. It’s part of my reality.

🎧 No Podcast This Week… Meet the Thompsons Instead

This week, we’re doing something different. Instead of a podcast, we’re bringing you a special story. A real-life inspired profile about a couple raising their family with intention, openness, and honesty around cannabis. If you’ve been with us since Issue 9, you may remember Marcus, the future dispensary owner we introduced in “The Green Fight.”

This is the part that came before that one. The piece that shaped everything else.

Meet The Thompsons

Name: Janelle Thompson
Age: 39
Role: Mother, Creative Director, Lupus warrior, cannabis advocate

Janelle leads with purpose. Her creativity shows up in her work and in how she cares for her body. When her lupus symptoms began interfering with everyday life, cannabis became a quiet companion. She uses it to manage pain and energy dips. Her children know it is medicine, not a mystery. That’s how she chose to raise them.

Name: Marcus Thompson
Age: 42
Role: Father, advocate, ex-engineer, future dispensary owner

Marcus is grounded. He rebuilt himself after losing a career and a clean record. He now works with local equity programs to support people impacted by outdated cannabis laws. His decision to open a dispensary is personal. He knows what it means to be punished for something that’s now profitable. He wants to change that story, for himself and others.

Children:

• Amari, 11 — observant, curious, reads everything

• Nyla, 7 — bold, asks big questions, loves rules and routines

Cannabis in the House: How the Thompsons Talk, Heal, and Thrive as a Family

Meet Janelle and Marcus Thompson. They live in a modest, light-filled home with their two children, Amari and Nyla. They are thoughtful, creative, and practical. They run their household with clarity and care, and cannabis is part of that reality.

Janelle is a creative director living with lupus. She uses cannabis to manage inflammation and fatigue, finding relief without the side effects of prescription medications. Marcus is a former systems engineer who now works in community equity and cannabis access. His path to advocacy didn’t start in a boardroom. It started in the driver’s seat of a parked car.

Before the Dispensary Dream

Before the cannabis business plan and the advocacy work, Marcus was clocking long hours as an engineer. He was focused, consistent, and often the last person to leave the office. After one of those long days, he stayed parked outside the building just writing. Lyrics, mostly. Rhymes he never shared but always carried.

He was smoking a little to unwind. Something to take the edge off. Around midnight, he decided to head to 7-Eleven to grab a late night bite. He never made it there.

A traffic stop turned into a search. Cannabis in the car. He wasn’t impaired, but that didn’t matter. He was arrested. The charge stuck. So did the consequences.

He lost his job. His background flagged him in every new opportunity. The years that followed were filled with rejection and regrouping.

“I wasn’t dealing. I wasn’t reckless. I was tired and trying to breathe,” Marcus says. “And it cost me more than I ever thought it could.”

We first mentioned Marcus in Issue 9, as someone stepping into ownership and pushing for equity in the industry. This is the story behind that vision. The part people don’t always see.

Inside the Home

“We don’t do secrets,” Janelle says as she clicks her lockbox shut. “We do structure. We do real talk.”

Cannabis is stored securely in their home. Flower, tinctures, and edibles are kept out of reach and out of sight. Their kids know the rules. They understand what cannabis is and what it is not. They’ve read books. They’ve been included in conversations. Their parents explain things clearly and early so that other voices don't get there first.

“We never wanted to hide it,” Janelle says, arranging her vape pen next to her journal and locking it in the box on her nightstand. “We just wanted them to know the truth early. Not from TikTok. From us.”

The Thompsons talk about cannabis the way other families talk about pantry snacks, with rules, with context, with openness. The kids understand what’s for them and what’s not. They’ve read picture books like It's Just a Plant and attended age-appropriate workshops.

Marcus adds, “There’s no mystery. They see us handle it responsibly. That’s what we want them to learn, that tools only help if you use them with intention.”

In a household where love is structure and healing is daily work, cannabis isn’t a crutch. It’s care.

“This house isn’t perfect,” Janelle says, “but it’s honest. That’s what matters.”

Why Their Story Matters

Parenting in this house is built on honesty, healing, and protection. Janelle and Marcus don’t shy away from the difficult conversations. They welcome them. Their children know how to ask questions and expect real answers — about wellness, history, justice, and the choices their parents make to stay balanced in a world that doesn’t always offer grace.

They’ve created a home where safety doesn’t mean silence, and care includes every part of the picture.

“I want my kids to understand tools,” Marcus says. “Not just what’s allowed, but what helps. Cannabis is one of mine. They deserve to understand that with clarity, not confusion.”

These are the kinds of family stories we need more of. Stories rooted in presence, shaped by experience, and told without apology.

Bridging the Green Divide: How My Parents Found Out and Where We Are Now

I didn’t plan the conversation. My parents didn’t learn about my cannabis use because I sat them down to explain it. They found out because I got pulled over.

The stop wasn’t even for me. I was arrested on warrants that actually belonged to my father. We share the same name, and in that moment, the system didn’t care to check the difference. On top of that, I had about two ounces of cannabis in my bookbag in the trunk, along with my rent money. The police confiscated everything.

The situation unraveled quickly. The car itself had been sold to me by a local buy-here-pay-here dealer, and the plates they gave me weren’t even real. The vehicle wasn’t properly registered. It was one problem stacked on top of another, and it all hit at once.

The Arrest

When they searched the car, they found the cannabis and the cash. I was cuffed, booked, and caught in a mess that was bigger than one night. My parents had no choice but to hear about it. I had to call them. They helped me to post bail after my dad borrowed money from a guy he used to work for. I had to hire a lawyer w my own money because they definitely could not afford it. The truth about my use wasn’t something I could ease them into. It was forced into the light.

At the time, I was also growing at home. It wasn’t a big operation, just plants I cared for as a craft. When I was arrested, my girlfriend at the time told a friend. He followed the plan we had in place, clear the house, get everything out before it was found. That friend later claimed another friend’s cat ate some of the plants, a whole mess of confusion and frustration.

I had just pulled down an Ape Dog(Grape Ape x Chemdawg) plant bred by a friend we will call K, and tucked it away. Thankfully that harvest was enough to cover my attorney fees. The timing was everything. If not for that, the outcome might have been different.

The Fallout

The arrest didn’t just leave me with charges. Little did i know, it would prevent me from obtaining employment, bar me from getting housing, and would become a moment that would shape my life from that point on. It forced open a conversation I had avoided with my family. Cannabis wasn’t theoretical anymore. It wasn’t something they could ignore or laugh off. It was a case, a courtroom, and a reality they had to face alongside me.

They didn’t take it lightly. They were worried, disappointed, scared. They had been raised in a time when cannabis was treated as criminal, not medicinal. To them, it felt like danger. To me, it was part of how I coped and created. The divide between us was wide.

The Shift

Fast forward to the present, and the landscape looks completely different. The same parents who once sat in courtrooms for me now use cannabis themselves. They’ve tried topicals for pain. They’ve used edibles for sleep. They’ve even made edibles to share with others in their circle.

That shift didn’t happen overnight. It came slowly, as the stigma around cannabis eroded, as legalization moved forward, and as they saw firsthand how it could help them. What began as fear and shame turned into curiosity, and eventually into care.

Then and Now

Back then, cannabis was the wedge that forced hard conversations between us. Today, it’s something that brings us together in new ways. They ask me questions. They experiment with products. They share what works for them. The plant that once felt like a burden in our relationship has become a bridge.

The journey wasn’t smooth. It was messy, complicated, and filled with misunderstandings. Yet it opened space for honesty we might never have had otherwise.

The Culmination

My parents didn’t learn about my cannabis use from a planned conversation. They learned in crisis. The arrest forced everything into the open. It was painful, but it was also the start of something bigger.

Now, years later, we stand on the other side. Cannabis is no longer a threat in their eyes. It’s a tool they use, a medicine they respect, and a conversation they’re willing to have.

For anyone facing that same divide, know this: change is possible. It might not come the way you expect, and it might not come easily, but it can happen. Sometimes the hardest beginnings create the space for the most important shifts.

📡 Off The Radar…

The stories in cannabis right now are moving fast, often too fast to catch with any real clarity. This week we’re not chasing every headline or stacking a list of news drops. Instead, we’re stepping back, choosing to pause, and taking a narrower lens.

Sometimes the fog tells us more than the noise. Slowing down lets us see what is actually shifting beneath the surface, what deserves our focus, and what we need to carry forward.

We’ll return next week with a sharper picture. For now, this issue is about presence. About conversations that matter. About truths that don’t get lost in the blur.

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