Now that the pandemic is (sort of) over it’s time to fly back home and spend time with your parents after over a year of being away. And if anything, these long months apart has taught us that time is one of the most valuable things we have—so is now a good time to talk to your parents about legal cannabis?

Let’s get one thing clear: your parents know what’s up. They’ve been around the block, they remember Rock N’ Roll, Ronald Reagan, and Rick James (hello! what else could the song Mary Jane be about??). They know about weed, they’ve probably even smoked weed at least one time at a party. And it would probably come as no surprise to them that you smoked weed and watched a lot of Spongebob over quarantine.

But just because they know the deal doesn’t mean that weed has helped them lately. Your parents are getting older, which is actually a great reason to talk to them about medical marijuana. But how you ask? In this article, we’ll give you all the juicy details on how to talk to your parents about legal cannabis and how it may be able to help them in their daily life.

How Weed Can Help Your Parents

I think we can all agree that Boomers and Generation X could afford to have some chill in their lives. Whether they’re a free-loving flower child or a straight-laced businessman, chances are your parents have spent their entire lives working way too hard. So let’s face it. Their bodies hurt.

Ask your parents how their bodies are feeling lately. Most likely, they’ll tell you something hurts.

Our parents take anti-inflammatories like Advil daily, they drink alcohol to ease their aching bones at night, or addiction-prone opioids to deal with pain the “traditional way”—but things are beginning to shift.

Nowadays, we’re seeing adults over 65, who make up  2.9% of the population, are sparking up because weed has a good reputation for helping people simply feel better. If you live in a state (like Michigan or Arizona) where you are able to legally purchase topicals, we suggest gifting your parents a cannabis-infused topical that may be able to relieve some of those aches and pains—think of it like offering them a little getaway in a jar.

But if your parents are retired and are not partaking in weed, they could be missing out on some amazing leisure time. If your family likes The Weather Channel and Seinfeld reruns, they’re about to like them a whole lot more.

But isn’t weed illegal?

Even though medical marijuana is not a big deal to us, our parents probably know that weed is technically classified as a schedule 1 drug (along with heroin and ecstasy), and it’s still illegal on a federal level. According to this scheduling, weed is thought to be more addictive than Ketamine and Xanax, but all of my stoner friends can confirm that this is just not the case.

Every day 38 people die from overdosing on prescription opioids. Meanwhile, ZERO people have died from getting stoned to the bone, eating snacks, and going on a very nice walk. So respectfully tell your parents to put that in their pipe and smoke it. And remember that the United States used to deem alcohol and desegregation illegal. Can you imagine?

As of May this year, the use of medical cannabis products is legal in 36 states and 4 territories, and the laws are changing all the time for good reason. Medical marijuana may be able to a slew of conditions, including pain and stress management. Plus, communities that legalize pot and free up the police force to concentrate on actual crime are on the path to being more anti-racist.

Sure, some people are sticklers for the rules. But most states have decriminalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. And according to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, fewer than 8% of people in the US think that marijuana should be totally illegal (and those people who are not in favor of legalization are likely to be over 75, white, and Republican...arguably they could stand to spark up a doobie more than any of us).

Okay, but my parents don't want to get high.

No problem. They don’t have to get lit to reap the benefits of pot, thanks to a little something everyone has been talking about called cannabidiol, or CBD for short. CBD is great for any cannabis newbies. It has many of the same potential wellness benefits as THC without the psychoactive effects that can be overwhelming or intimidating to someone that is new to the weed game.

Although weed seems to be more effective when there are both THC and CBD components present (this is referred to as the entourage effect), THC is not necessary. Especially for someone who is getting started, or re-acquainted with the sticky-icky.

There are many CBD-infused edibles, tinctures, capsules, and balms available, and are specifically known to help people get a good night’s sleep, something all of us could use a little more of.

And if you don’t know where to start, just ask your friendly and knowledgeable JARS budtender for some good parental recommendations. They get questions on behalf of parents all the time, and they’ve probably helped their own parents find some relief.

Final Thoughts

We hope this guide has helped you figure out exactly how to talk to your parents about legal cannabis. Now that you know it might not be as big of a deal as you thought, what are you waiting for? Encourage them to talk to their primary care physician about medical marijuana to get a bonafide referral from someone with an M.D. and figure out what kind of medical marijuana products might be right for them.

And remember, if they are not receptive or have a vendetta against the devil’s lettuce, and hate that you are talking to them about weed, you can always blame some article you read that told you to try and get your parents high. We don’t mind being your scapegoat.

But, if they are interested, we challenge you to smoke with your parents and listen to all of their favorite music for extra credit. Even though it might seem like that is an impossibility, you would be surprised how many parents are happy to open up and share a smoke with their kid. It’s definitely a vibe.