If you haven’t already come out of the green closet, Thanksgiving 2019 might be your moment. Of all the statutory holidays, Thanksgiving is one of the finest. It checks the boxes on many critical fronts (mini-vacation from work, delicious seasonal holiday fare, general goodwill), leaving the less fun aspects of other holidays at the door (last-minute gift-wrapping at Christmas, and sunstroke on the Fourth of July, I’m looking at you).
Thanksgiving is just a feel-good holiday, period. If there was ever an ideal time of year to come out green to your family, Thanksgiving is absolutely the time to do it. And now, with more Americans than ever dipping their toes into the world of cannabis and cannabis-infused goodies, the conversation is likely to come up around the dinner table at some point. Why not be the one to introduce it?
The key to any successful reveal is timing. Pick your moment wisely. Many families still honor the tradition of actually giving thanks (you know, the real reason for the occasion). With hands clasped around the table and the promise of stomachs soon to be filled with roast yams and pies, good feelings will be running at a high. There couldn’t be a more ideal context for proclaiming that, in addition to the gratitude you have for your family, you’re also grateful for the positive changes the humble herb has brought to your life. As your family chew their food and contemplate your revelation, you can prepare yourself for the inevitable questions, comments, critiques, and curiosity that will be sure to come your way.
Flowertown, as always, has you covered. If you’re convinced that Thanksgiving is the right time for you to own your identity as an empowered cannabis user, here’s our helpful list of dos and don’ts:
Do tell a story about your cannabis experience.
Humans are storytelling creatures, driven by the need for narrative to make sense and give meaning to life. Share your cannabis experience with your family. If you use weed for its therapeutic purposes, divulge how you discovered it, explain the benefits you’ve found and how it’s changed your life for the better, and helpfully drop in references to study or research that you’re familiar with that support its use for that purpose.
Do highlight the impressive therapeutic applications of cannabis.
Headaches, acne, eczema, muscle aches, joint pain, epilepsy, chronic pain, insomnia, inflammation, nausea, appetite loss, and anxiety are some of the many medical conditions cannabis can help with. Relaxation, sex, and creativity are some of the other areas of your life cannabis can positively impact. If you’re dealing with a room full of Republicans, or have more than three forks and knives next to a gilded dinner plate, it may be wise to refrain from singing the praises of edibles between the sheets or using weed for inspiration at your life-drawing classes.
Do take the chance to cast stoner stereotypes aside.
A pinch of ignorance, teamed with a dash of fear, a sprinkling of prejudice, and a healthy dollop of stigmatization has long been a successful recipe for demonizing cannabis. Most anti-pot people are unaware that they’re nursing archaic and inaccurate notions of cannabis inherited from the Reagan era. If you can tackle their unfounded prejudices calmly and swiftly, you’re well on the way to helping them embrace cannabis with open arms. Or at least, you might encourage them to extend an open palm for a slice of your delicious CBD-infused pecan pie.
Do set an example.
If you’re well-educated, informed, and successful (and we know Flowertown readers are) you’re precisely the kind of person who should be owning your cannabis use. Stereotypes of sloppy stoners with bloodshot eyes attacking pizzas are so 20 years ago. Cannabis user version 2.0 is savvy, an independent thinker, and super-aware of how cannabis can be safely used to enhance their life.
Don’t get too heavy on history.
You could go really granular by explaining the historical propaganda that removed weed from the U.S. pharmacopeia or revisit the smear campaign that vilified the herb. But focusing on useful and fun facts is probably going to yield a warmer reception. Slide into the convo that Martha Stewart is developing a line of marijuana products to help treat anxiety in people’s pets. Explain that there’s a cannabinoid for everyone and almost every issue, and if getting high isn’t in your wheelhouse, CBD or CBG might be the remedy you never knew you were looking for.
