Kaycee
Bawdon is out to show that smoking marijuana while taking care of
children is perfectly acceptable.
When the mother of four from central California gets together for a
playdate with other moms, they often enjoy some herbal refreshment
while kids frolic in the yard nearby.
Whether it's smoking from a bong or lighting a joint, these moms make
marijuana a regular part of their lives.
"Mommy needs a joint just as much as mommy needs a glass of wine,''
Bawdon told Maria Shriver on TODAY Tuesday. "You can still be a good
parent and use marijuana at the same time."
Middle-aged parents are now more likely to use pot than their teenage
children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bawdon, 30, and her friends believe marijuana helps treat pain and
depression and also helps them relax and boosts their productivity.
Recreational pot use is legal in California.
"I can smoke it and go clean my whole house and do all my laundry and
just get everything done,'' Elizabeth Orduno told Shriver.
"I feel like I am actually more focused and attentive while I am
medicated, it kind of gives me that spruce of energy that I don't
have,'' another mom, Saydee Perkins, added.
Bawdon, who started a blog called "The Cannavist Mom," suffers from
migraines and says prescription pills left her feeling foggy and
disconnected.
Bowdon says she and her friends smoke marijuana in moderation and use
designated drivers. They also warn their children never to touch
"mommy's medicine" and make sure to keep their pot, pipes and other
paraphernalia out of reach.
The CDC says marijuana use may cause an increased risk of low birth
rate for babies while also increasing their risk of developmental
problems.
Using marijuana hasn't come without a backlash for Bowdon. A mother of
one of her daughter's friends banned her child from going to Bowdon's
home after discovering her blog.
"She saw that I was a cannabis mom and then all of a sudden,
'Savannah's mom's a pothead and I don't want you hanging out with her
anymore,''' Bowdon said.
Her ultimate goal is to normalize moms using pot and remove the stigma
that comes along with it.
"I feel like people think that marijuana makes you lazy, that you're
just gonna sit on the couch and kinda let life pass you by and let your
kids pass you by,'' she said. "And it doesn't. I'm out there, playing
with my kids, and we're just that normal family."
