MIKE CASSESE/Reuters
Which parent is worse: The one who smokes pot or the one who knocks back wine?
Some pot-smoking mothers are defending their habit and say they're tired of being judged by other moms who religiously drink glasses of wine. "Any hypocrisy is hard to swallow. A drunk mother is pathetic and I often leave parties when I experience other mothers tying one on," Margaret, a mother of two boys, told Today Moms.
And she's not the only mom who feels this way. One mother recently raised eyebrows when she acknowledged that she takes care of her daughter when she's stoned. And the Moms for Marijuana group has garnered close to 20,000 likes on Facebook.
Margaret, who didn't want her last named used, told Today Moms that smoking marijuana helps her relax so she can get through her day without stressing. "It can make folding a pile of laundry fun. If I didn't smoke, that'd be three piles later in the week."
But she's careful to keep her habit hidden. Margaret keeps her stash locked away from her kids and doesn't tell other moms for fear of ostracizing her children.
"Marijuana parents aren't perfect, but they're far less imperfect than parents who use alcohol irresponsibly," says Diane Fornbacher, the co-vice chair of the Women's Alliance at NORML, the non-profit lobbying group working to legalize marijuana.
She told Today Moms that parents shouldn't be judged if they're using a substance that makes them more productive and causes no harm. "Cannabis can influence people to be nicer to one another. You rarely find a story that says two stoners beat each other up outside of a bar."
In Canada, it is legal to use marijuana for medical purposes. But according to a recent poll, 66 per cent of Canadians believe possession of small amounts of the drug should be decriminalized.
But, of course, there are health concerns for parents who smoke pot around their kids, such as a higher likelihood that the child will use the drug or starting smoking it earlier. And those who smoke marijuana before 16 have a higher rate of psychiatric disorders, according to Today Moms.
Do you think it's inappropriate for people to smoke marijuana while parenting? Is it worse than drinking too much alcohol around children?