Parents who use medical marijuana

First of all good for you for taking a mature stance on this subject as it can be tricky for manyin this world of grey areas with cannabis. My son is 5 and he knows that when daddy smokes his medicine its just the same as any other medication and needs to be respected and not abused. I dont live with him anymore as im seperated from my ex his mom but when he visits or I do I dont hide it and usually just step outside real quick andmedicate. Best thing you coud do for smoking indoors and not worrying about exposingur child to smokeis use a vaporizer or a vape pen. Id suggest using concentrates as well like hash oil or bubble hash. You smoke less and ur not smoking a bunch of plant matter.

 

 I used to be a kid raised in a house full of smokers and I can tell you the precautions you're taking now is a good thing imo. When I was growing up it was something in the house my parents did all the time (they weren't as courteous about it as you and your husband are.) and the biggest mistake they made was not being open about it with us. They did it out in the living room and stuff but they never sat down and talked to me and my brothers about it. It was just kind of unspoken. When you're young you are very influential and when my parents never told me their view of the spectrum I was left to get my opinions from public school. I remember the day I realized that what my parents had been doing all my life is smoking pot and at first I thought it was horrible and it left me with some really negative opinions about smoking for a portion of my young life. It really stressed me out at times as child.
 
My advice would be just to be open and honest about what's going on so your kid learns from you instead of figuring out some other way and just be respectful to your child about it. Which it sounds like you already are.

 

Do you live in a state where it is legal?  If not, I would not let your child see.  5 months old, yeah, the child won't remember, but once they can talk, I wouldn't.  Why?
 
If they are school age, they are constantly told "say no to drugs" and taught all drugs are bad.  You don't want your child seeing a film about the dangers of MJ, and telling their teacher that their parents have a pipe like that, or whatever.  You might end up with DHR (or some other welfare/government agency) stepping into your lives.  Once you are involved with them your life is not your own.
 
If you have neighbors that don't approve of MJ, and they smell it, they could call DHR and you could get in trouble for smoking it around your child.  If the child hasn't seen you do it, then when they are questioned they won't know what in the hell they're asking about.  
 
Sad that things have to be that way, but better to be safe.  Also, I would just never smoke where it could be absorbed by little lungs...cigs, or MJ.  

 

They stated they were Medical MJ users so Im guessing they are in compassionate state with med mj laws. but yes your totally right in states where its illegal definitely agood approach. Biggest thing as a parent you can do is just be honest andpresent them with the facts whenthey are age appropriate enough to understand it and absorb what ur telling themproperly.

 

You can't smoke in the house with a kid.  There's just as much ambient pollution in the whole house.  Go outside, get a pen that takes CO2 cartridges, use edibles, but don't smoke in the house.  It's not good to smoke ANYTHING on a regular basis in a house with a kid.  Please, don't do it.
 
Secondarily, your kid will pretty easily pick up, on her clothes, and her hair and skin, the smell of marijuana.  People WILL notice.
 
And totally aside, do you have a lockbox that your medicine goes in?  Not just cannabis medicine, but all medicine?

 

Oh, and I couldn't give a crap if she sees it.  It's the breathing and the saturation that are a bad thing.  My kids all know this is my medicine, and the kids old enough to understand know that it's cannabis medicine, and we've had a bunch of talks about it.

 

ive aways grown cannabis and smoked it ,but ive never smoked around my kids in the house,,,sure they probably saw me smoke in the garden ,,i'd just put the joint down ,but they aways knew i smoked it for medical reasons,,,,ive never hidden the fact from them ,the same as growing when they were old enough to ask me i told them about cannabis how it helps in pain relief etc,,,,my kids now are all adults now with their own kids ,,,seeing me smoke in the garden and growing cannabis never hurt them just dont smoke in a room with kids about ,,and when old enough tell them the truth dont lie to them ,,kids hate their parents that lie.......mac

 

It sounds a lot like you're in my state.  Just fyi, vape pens for flower usually combust rather than vape, so the smell and harshness are still there, though not quite as much.  But I'm looking at getting a vapir NO2, which you can get for under $100, which appears to be a portable vaporizer (not a pen, just smaller than a big one).
 
I really like the CO2 oil vape pens (like o.pen).  Those are fantastic, and don't create smell or residues or anything polluting in the air.  And if you're in the major metropolis in the state I'm in, they're not hard to find at dispensaries.
 
 

Yeah, I agree.  It's only if WE make it some shameful secret (or if we're abusing it) that it becomes A Big Thing for the kids.

 

Maybe this is excessively paranoid on my part, but as someone who has had several family members lose their children (in some cases, for no justifiable reason at all) -  
 
Something you may want to consider - is not letting your kids see you take your medical marijuana until they're old enough to understand that it's not wise to tell everyone. 
 
Kids just being innocently honest about various things (ranging from medical marijuana, to being Wiccans, to virtually everything you could think of) have led to all kinds of trouble with Child Protective Services for lots of people that I know, and once CPS is on your back, it's VERY hard to get them OFF your back. They're harder to get rid of than cockroaches. 
 
Once CPS has decided you're a person of interest to them, they will interpret anything and everything as evidence of your bad parenting. 
 
Virtually everything at that point from having a slightly messy house to being poor or having anything at all other than being a squeaky clean upper middle class white Christian married heterosexual homeowner family, will stack up against you, once they've decided you're worthy of their attention. 
 
If you google +"CPS" and +"Medical Marijuana", you will find there are lots of cases of parents who have lost or facing losing their children due to medical marijuana use. 

 

 
Orbweaver's advice is wise. The concern about second-hand smoke, however, has no basis in science. There is not a single, valid study showing that second-hand cannabis smoke is harmful; which is not surprising given that smoking cannabis, even first-hand, does not increase the risk of lung cancer or heart disease. Similarly, there is no evidence that cannabis use during pregnancy harms the fetus; but there is evidence showing that it does no harm.

 

I have been a medical marijuana patient since before my daughter was born, and she's now 7.  We have always maintained that it was our medicine and that it's something that we discuss in private as a family and she understands she is not to discuss it with outsiders.  That it's perfectly normal.  I am a second generation MJ user, and my parents taught me to respect the plant and what it does for you, and I'm teaching my daughter the same.  As she gets older and more curious she will be educated with the best information I can find for her.
 
Fortunately she hates our medicine now and we strive very hard to keep her away from it.  It is impossible to conceal it 100% to someone living in your household, and a family built on deceit is not very strong at all.  So don't HIDE it from your kids, but don't make it look like too much fun either.  
 
As more and more states either legalize or go medical it's a lot easier to deal with.  Fortunately I'm in Los Angeles, California and practically all our friends are 420 friendly.  Those that aren't don't know about us.  

 

Id like to state that you should not smoke around your kids. Let them know but dont expose them to it at such a young age. As for a vape id suggest building your own. Theyre cheaper, and better cost me 27 for a full setup

 

Should she refrain from taking advil, or an antidepressant or cholesterol-lowering medication in front of her kid, too?