Marijuana Mamas – a look at the hidden legion of female tokers

(MomLogic.com) Middle-aged, middle-class soccer moms are smoking pot … a lot. These women aren’t stoners: they’re teachers, lawyers, and, perhaps, even your neighbor who prefers puffing a joint to sipping chardonnay.

“Marijuana is the magic in my life that helps me unwind, stay sane, and have more energy,” says Sonia, a 24-year-old mother from Los Angeles. Working full-time as a restaurant manager leaves Sonia feeling stressed out and drained at the end of the day. She smokes once or twice daily to relax. “I have a stressful job, it’s something that helps me wind down so I don’t take out my frustration on my husband or my child.”

Mary is a 37-year-old, self-employed mother in Seattle who smokes pot several times a week. “It is relaxing, fun, and once in a while I self-medicate for cramps or headaches,” said Mary. She says she prefers smoking to drinking beer because it’s easier on the body and has fewer calories. Mary buys her bags from a dealer, making it more risky because “there’s still a real danger of being arrested,” says Mary.

The website, Chikii.com, surveyed hundreds of women nationwide between the ages of 25 and 60 years old. Out of that group, 52% admitted to using marijuana at least ten times a year. 27% smoked between one and seven times a week. And 78% of those women knew someone who got high on a regular basis.

Both women who shared their stories with momlogic say that many of their friends smoke weed. But while it seems “marijuana mamas” are everywhere, this silent majority prefers to stay in the shadows. “They think if they admit it, it makes them a bad mom,” says Sonia, who believes the opposite is true. “It makes me a better mother. It clears my head and allows me to focus on my child.” Mary says it’s important to be a responsible smoker “by doing it mindfully, only when I have downtime.”

Both of these moms support legalizing marijuana. “It will help our economy, help our state, and take away that stigma,” said Sonia. Mary believes pot smoking should be about personal choice, not politics. “I’m an adult and I make life or death decisions every day. The drug war has killed lots of people; smoking pot hasn’t killed anyone.”

What do you think? Are these moms on the right track — or are they whacked out on more than just weed?

Moms – and women generally – are the great untapped market of marijuana law reform.  As I noted earlier, listeners to this podcast skew 9:1 male:female.  High Times magazine has about the same demographic.  And judging by our database of supporters, our Board of Directors, and the personnel of our state and local chapters, I’d say the 9:1 ratio is pretty accurate movement-wide.

This is a terrible statistic in light of history.  When we look back to the movement to end alcohol prohibition, it was the efforts of women like Pauline Sabin that fought back the prohibitionist mindset of those who’d impose their own morality on others’ private behavior:

(The Independent Institute) As early as 1922, the Molly Pitcher Club, affiliated with the brewery-sponsored Association Against the Prohibition Amendment, attempted to organize women opposed to prohibition. Led by L. Louise Gross, that group decried the “tendency on the part of our National Government to interfere with the personal habits of the American people except those habits which may be designated as criminal” (pp. 67-68)….

Pauline Sabin had the arguments, personal charisma, and political savvy that Gross had lacked. A wealthy, elegant, socially prominent, and politically well-connected New Yorker, Sabin formed the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform in 1929. Whereas her own politics tended toward small government and free markets (she later promoted the anti-New Deal American Liberty League), as head of the WONPR she argued for repeal by turning the [prohibitionist Women's Christian Temperence Union's] home protection argument on its head. Repeal would protect families from the crime, corruption, and furtive drinking that prohibition had created. Repeal would return decisions about alcohol to families, where they belonged. The WONPR stole tactics and members as well as arguments from the WCTU. Its members looked for allies in both major parties and largely avoided internal partisan bickering. While becoming the largest female repeal organization, the WONPR attracted many former prohibitionists who had become disillusioned with the amendment. The image of the WONPR—secular, modern, rich, and fashionable—also helped bring in members, even in prohibition strongholds in the South. The WCTU sputtered objections, but ultimately it had no answer.

(Before we tread too deeply, a caveat: when I write below of “men this” or “women that”, I’m talking in generalities and societal norms.  Yes, there are emotional nurturing men and yes, there are cold logical women.  Everyone’s unique, but in large groups, patterns emerge.)

Here on the West Coast, we’re blessed to have tremendously accomplished women leading the charge for marijuana reform.  NORML has recognized some of these women with The Pauline Sabin Award (In Honor Of And Recognition For The Crucial Need And Importance Of Women Leadership In Ending Marijuana Prohibition), including Washington ACLU’s Alison Chinn-Holcomb, Oregon NORML‘s Madeline Martinez, and California’s Mikki Norris, head of the Cannabis Consumers Campaign, just to name a few.  Personally, I rose up through Oregon NORML, which is not only female-led, but also a majority-female board.

But we need more than just a few female leaders, we need female footsoldiers, regular cannabis consumers like Sonia and Mary, to come out of the closet.  When we men make the argument to end prohibition, we appeal to logic and reason, facts and science, cold utilitarian arguments.  The appeal of prohibition to its supporters, however, has nothing to do with those and everything to do with morality and home and – lest we forget – “What About The Children?!?”  Women can appeal to the emotional side of the argument, the fears about family and morality, as Pauline Sabin demonstrated in the early 20th century.

Women can make the same exact point men can regarding cannabis prohibition, but the nature of generally accepted societal roles of women being caregivers and mothers and healers and teachers means that message will be heard differently.  For example, if I say, “84% of high school seniors say it is ‘easy’ to get marijuana – it’s out of control!  Nobody’s checking IDs, nobody’s verifying purity, and kids are the ones selling it!” as a man, I’m interpreted as just stating an alarming fact.  But when those same words come out of Madeline Martinez’s mouth, she’s interpreted as a grandmother fearing for her family.  When I say it, it’s a case of “Prohibition causes…”; when she says it, it’s a case of “Prohibition threatens…”

So women, what can we do at NORML to bring more of the Sonias and Marys and you to get involved?  How do we erase the stigma that cannabis use makes you a bad mom?  As Outreach Coordinator, what tips can you give me on recruiting more women?