Autumn & Winter Cannabis Mamas and MJ Lovers - Page 3

[yippiehippie]

rightkindofme! Good to have you, so glad you discovered the wonderful plant! I didn't partake until 21 and am now 30 and realize how much it's helped me through bouts of depression, anxiety, morning sickness, and insomnia...really hoping I'll be able to somehow get a card once in AZ (a newly decriminalized state), I hear it will be much harder their (very republican, i'm suprised it even passed). Anyway, glad you found us!

[simple living mama]

Originally Posted by SamuraiMom 

Hello ladies, first time posting, not a big partaker, I love everything about it and wish I had more time for it, but I am very much for legalization, or at the least decriminalization.  However the issue I am dealing w/ now is my 12 year old partaking w/ her friends. I don't really want her doing it so young, at all, ,though I certainly tried it around her age. But my question is how to handle it. She says she has only tried it once, I don't want to be the big heavy, but like I said, I don't want her making it a habit, even a weekend habit, or monthly. I want her to wait until she's older, like, 19 years old(er)! I just read a recent study on NPR about kids who start smoking in their teen years have learning issues and the like later on. I just feel like I'm in the thick of it, and don't know what to do. Whats the common sense take on it?

I would make it clear that the age limit is for adults much like alcohol is for adults only.  My guess is that you don't want her drinking so use the same rules.  I actually started smoking when I was 13 so I'm one to talk but if my parents were open and they had asked me to wait until I was an adult, I might have respected that.  Instead, my dad was beyond controlling so I think I used it to cope with his need to control everyone around him.   I have always been completely honest about our partaking to my own two kids and although my dh and I are discrete while partaking, we don't try to hide the bong or anything like that.

 

 They have been taught about the healing properties of ganja and they also know it is way different from drinking alcohol.  We are not big drinkers but when we do, they see we don't do it to get drunk. Only to compliment a meal or on a hot day, enjoy a cold beer.  With pot, they normally see us chill out as far as sweating the small stuff.  They see us becoming extremely productive as that's what my dh and I tend to do after a puff.  They see us holding down our jobs, paying our bills, excersizing, having dinners together as a family nightly, and frankly, really enjoying everyones company.  But my kids understand there are adult things and child things so that's where we are at this time in our lives.  We're doing this by the seat of our pants but so far they seem to not have a problem with our house rules. 

 

[Mama2Rio]

hey mama's! still around, just been working so much and not time for anything else. i had a ground score the other night! probably some high school kids. just let hubby have it.

yippiehippie, when are you moving to AZ? i need some mama friends who partake. lol!

i'm so excited arizona got the bill passed. i'll might apply for a card, once things settle down and i find out how easy or difficult it really will be. It sounds like the law's going to make it very difficult. there's nothing about mental health in the bill and it's very strict in saying very serious illnesses. but it's a step closer then where we were.
 

[eilonwy]

:) I've got a 13 year old niece; She's actually staying with me part time (I'm homeschooling her now, yay! :D). We talk about marijuana frequently. She knows that I smoke (when I can), and a lot of her friends also smoke. She doesn't, and I discourage her from doing so for several reasons. Her father also smokes a lot and he's kind of. . . unstable, to put it mildly. I've told her that teenagers with a family history of schizophrenia are the most likely to have problems due to marijuana use, and that it takes longer for a teenager's body & brain to clear what they do smoke. She knows this to be true, she's seen first-hand that her friends can smoke a bit of their ditch weed at 7:00 in the morning and still be high as kites by the end of school at 2:45. She also knows that they act like idiots when they're high and are fun to watch, but not to be. ;) We maintain a dialog, as with anything else. Chibi has plans for her life, and she doesn't want to screw everything up before she's remotely grown. :)

That said: If Chibi didn't have a family history of schizophrenia I probably wouldn't bat an eyelash, I'd just encourage her not to be stupid about it. Perhaps I'm somewhat lax that way, though; My natural inclination is toward TCS. I don't really have a moral or ethical problem with teenagers lighting up on the weekends. As Dave Chappelle says, weed is a gateway to junk food but not much else. I think it's pretty sad if a kid feels the need to get high before school, but to be entirely honest I can relate and went to school high on more than one occasion. It's better for the body than alcohol and I feel very strongly that it's safer for everyone than the pharmaceuticals that are typically prescribed. Think about all of the drugs that parents are actually giving their teenagers deliberately, and weigh weed against them. Marijuana can help a child calm down and focus just as well as Ritalin or Adderal, only without the absolutely vile side effects. It can calm anxiety in teenagers more effectively than anxiolytics, again without negative side effects, and it works on depression without making kids suicidal and/or homicidal. In terms of weekend entertainment, there are far worse things for a child to be doing. Chibi's mother, my sister, is very tense about such things and freaks out at the mere idea, but I think her ideas of what smoking herb actually entails for most people has been thoroughly tainted by Chibi's father (who really is a mess).

Anyway, the dialog is most important, I think. I'm honest, and she knows she can talk to me. Chibi is also very confident, secure and strong-willed. She has excellent self-esteem and has no trouble saying no or telling her friends off for stupid behavior. For example, apparently some of her classmates have taken to crushing and snorting Smarties (you know, the candy! *lol*) and last week my mom and I got to laugh hysterically listening to her scream at a little boy about what a stupid thing he was doing. I've heard her chew kids out for sniffing White Out as well, and tell them that they'd be better off smoking weed (true!). She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's willing to communicate with adults who aren't condescending and who don't behave like jerks for no apparent reason, so I don't worry too much.

I do find it depressing, however, that my 13 year old niece who doesn't even smoke has more connections than I do. *lol* As usual I'm completely out and as usual, I find myself surrounded by people who seem hell bent on pissing me off. I'm trying, but life is miserable and I'm perpetually angry. :( This is the other thing: Marijuana definitely makes it easier for me to be a nice, productive human being instead of an angry, depressed sad sack. If I had any money (and a local connection) I'd spend it all on greenery. :/ If I had a place to do it, I'd try growing my own. What I wouldn't give for a reliable and discreet local source of decent herb. *sigh* I just watched Half Baked again, that will have to suffice.

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

Hello hello!

So I am a very newly pregnant mama, and I've been thinking about marijuana to help with my pregnancy. I've never smoked before, so I'm very much a newb. =)

1. First of all- I have generalized anxiety disorder. Right now, I take Xanax for it, which is a D risk, so obviously that can't continue.

2. I get morning sickness VERY badly in pregnancy, and I'll also have to go off my antidepressant, which has horrible withdrawal mostly consisting of nausea and vomiting.

3. I'm underweight and have a low appetite.

MJ would help with pretty much all of that, no? What advice do you have for me?

TIA!

~Rose

[yippiehippie]

Originally Posted by Mama2Rio 

hey mama's! still around, just been working so much and not time for anything else. i had a ground score the other night! probably some high school kids. just let hubby have it.

yippiehippie, when are you moving to AZ? i need some mama friends who partake. lol!

i'm so excited arizona got the bill passed. i'll might apply for a card, once things settle down and i find out how easy or difficult it really will be. It sounds like the law's going to make it very difficult. there's nothing about mental health in the bill and it's very strict in saying very serious illnesses. but it's a step closer then where we were.
 

I'm moving after Christmas...should get in new years! Where are you? I'll be in south scottsdale staying w/MIL till we can find something. We'll have to hook up;)

Originally Posted by RoseRedHoofbeats 

Hello hello!

So I am a very newly pregnant mama, and I've been thinking about marijuana to help with my pregnancy. I've never smoked before, so I'm very much a newb. =)

1. First of all- I have generalized anxiety disorder. Right now, I take Xanax for it, which is a D risk, so obviously that can't continue.

2. I get morning sickness VERY badly in pregnancy, and I'll also have to go off my antidepressant, which has horrible withdrawal mostly consisting of nausea and vomiting.

3. I'm underweight and have a low appetite.

MJ would help with pretty much all of that, no? What advice do you have for me?

TIA!

~Rose

Yes, my advice is to find a good, reliable source, find a vape or good recipes, and start feeling bettter in a more natural way! Let us know how it goes and welcome to our tribe!

[wehrli]

subbing

[Peachy Green]

Hi everyone! I'm new here! It's so refreshing after all the researching and googling I've done to find a forum that isn't full of judgemental people who have no idea what they're talking about! I have a question, but here's a little background first.

I'm due in February with baby no.2. I have been an off and on MJ user for about 15 years now, enough to know better than to listen to all the propaganda that goes around about it. :) I have never been in trouble for it or any other drug, so I have a clean record as far as that goes. When I was pregnant with my daughter I did not use MJ, just becasue I'd had a previous miscarriage and was basically afraid to breathe the entire time because I was so worried that something would go wrong. She is now a perfectly healthy and happy 15 month old. My water broke at 36w 6d with her, for no apparent reason at all except a big storm front was moving through and the nurses told me a drop in barometric pressure could cause it, even though I wasn't in actual labor. So I was induced and never progressed and ended up with a C-section the next day at 37w. Not exactly pre-term, but not term either. Anyway, this go around I'm with the same OB and will deliver at the same hospital(I'm in Georgia). I have been much more relaxed this pregnancy and I have used MJ to help with the awful morning sickness, lack of appetite, and anxiety I've been having about having 2 under 2, among other things. Anyway, I'm not a heavy user, a couple of tokes once a day, if that. I did extensive research before I allowed myself even that and have come to the conclusion that it is basically harmless, which is what my gut told me anyway. I know that vaping and edibles are better than smoking, but since those aren't available to me, I've done the latter and I know that any side effects to my baby would be caused by that. I'm comfortable in my decision. However, I recently came across the disturbing possiblilty of myself or my baby or both being tested upon delivery. I'm a pretty intelligent person, but for some reason that just did not occur to me. Probably because I've had a child and did not sign or verbally consent to a drug test for either of us before, even though there was no need to worry then. I have since discovered that there is no need for consent from me for either of us and that makes me irate on a whole other level(HELLO! CONSTITUTION!) Anyway, I have gone crazy trying to find out the info and policies of my state, Georgia, and can find nothing concrete. It's crazy to me that in this day and age of technology, I can't find the information I need regarding this.

So, my questions are-

I'm 32 weeks. At my level of usage described above would that give me enough time to be clean for delivery by c-section at 39 weeks? I don't really have any experience with tests, but have always had a fast metabloism?

I know the meconium would test positive anyway, but is that a routine test or just based on age, marital status, medicaid or private(I'm with Kaiser), proir use history,etc.?

Is a drug test routine prior to a c-section since it's major surgery?

Does ANYONE have any info on GEORGIA policies regarding this matter?!! Please help!!!

Does CPS, if involved, always take babies for MJ use?

Please help!!!! I'm terrified. I'm a good, caring, loving mother who only wants the best for her children and I cannot imagine having CPS involved for this! I have a job, my husband is a non-user with a good job, we own a home, we have a stable, healthy environment. I just don't understand all the drama over MJ! It's time to legalize!

Thanks for reading, any advice or info, and sorry for any spelling or grammer errors, I'm writing fast before DD wakes up from nap. :)

[yippiehippie]

Peachy green-- Wow, you sound paranoid, but I totally understand why, if there was the slightest chance someone would take away my newborn I would be too. I really don't think that's the case though. I am no expert, as I had a homebirth and am not in georgia, but here's my views.

I can't imagine why on earth hospitals would spend the money to test you for no reason. There are a lot of MJ users out there and lots of pregnant ones, too, it's just taboo to talk about it.  I also can't imagine CPS taking a newborn from his mama for a little weed (though I'm sure I'm giving them way too much credit). I just really don't see you getting tested unless they have a reason. The hospitals would have to do it, file your insurance, and they would have to pay. Most insurance companies do not agree to pay for uneccessay routine procedures, right?

People have talked about this on past threads...I wish I remembered when. I feel like one said it happened to her and had to go to counseling, but kept her kids. Personally, I think you should smoke a bit and relax...if you haven't heard this is happening, why did you even think about it?

[nicolian]

Hi mamas! I'm new to MDC and just stumbled upon this thread. What a pleasant surprise!

What are the opinions in here on smoking during pregnancy? I see that most of the ladies here go the vaporized or edible route..

:)

[Peachy Green]

Hee hee! I have to giggle a bit at the "sounding paranoid" part, because I totally did, and I almost said something about it in that post. :) But, in all seriousness, I just can't even fathom the thought of my child or children being put into the system over MJ. There's so much more danger in that then the green stuff. I just kind of stumbled upon it one night while looking through posts on another pregnancy board I belong to. It got my attention, so I googled some key words about drug testing newborns and mothers-to-be and started coming up with all this kind of half-information about how some states test manditorily, some don't and all these horror stories about it. In trying to find out where my state stands on this kind of thing, I can come up with nothing for sure. I've heard it's up to the hospital if they feel it's necessary(pre-term birth, fast labor, seeming under the influence of something, past history, etc.) and I've also heard that your OB can test you without your knowledge anytime they take your urine for routine visists, and if it's positive then your "flagged" for a test upon delivery. I've never been billed or seen any evidence of that on any of my bills, but who knows, kwim? To my knowledge they didn't test me or DD at the hospital or prior and that was just in '09. It's to the point where I'm thinking about requesting copies of my medical records to see what's in them. I know that I'm not the kind of person to throw up red flags at the hospital and as awful as it is to know that there are certain "qualities" they look for in a person as deciding factors for testing, I know I'd pass those. The main thing I worry about is the pre-term labor part, as I had DD 3 weeks early and my OB warned that it could very well happen again. It's all got me so stressed out! And trying to get to the bottom of it has been ridiculous. I've found some threads on other boards started about this kind of thing, but never info about Ga, and the women who come along asking these same questions never check back in to say what happened after. I promise, if only to help some other woman worried about this same thing, I will check back and update in Feb. about how things went. Anyway, I really appreciate your response and you do help put my mind at ease a little, since the rational side of me is saying that it's going to be ok. I just hate the thought of my and my baby's fate being in the hands of some nurse who knows nothing about me and a government hell bent on the drug war. I wish I could home birth!

[rightkindofme]

They don't routinely test everyone.  That would be extremely expensive and there would be no one willing to pay for it.  I think that part of the reason you can't find out much about it is because... it is a pretty rare occurrence. :)  If it happened much it would be talked about.  And it would probably hit the news. 

I smoked during my last pregnancy.  So far my kiddo is charming, happy, super healthy, and growing like mad. :)

[Peachy Green]

Thanks for your response. I definitely don't have any worries about this little one coming out just fine, healthy and happy. I agree that it does sound crazy that they would test everyone. From what I've been reading, though, it's hard to tell if the women who've been tested and came up positive had any other issues or what. I don't think Georgia falls in this category but I keep coming across NJ, TX and IL as states where they automatically drug test mom, baby, or both. Some OB practices test, some don't. Same with hospitals. What really gets me is that it seems to be done without your consent or even knowledge and then if positive, it's reported to CPS. I don't appreciate the violation of my rights. I don't care if it is under the guise of looking out for the baby, it's still not right to me. KWIM?

[eilonwy]

Peachy, I was in a serious car accident while I was pregnant with #3, enough that I had an x-ray (!!!) and was on a boatload of painkillers when I went into labor with her at 36w5d. She was born by repeat c-section and no one mentioned testing for the painkillers after she was born even though she had breathing problems initially and went to NICU. I know and know of many people who have used mj during pregnancy and not one of them has been tested, let alone had CPS become involved with their kids. Sounds to me as though you could use another hit. ;)

I'm still without, as usual. If I can scrape up enough money to get out of town for New Year's I'll be able to pick some up then, but until then I must continue to live vicariously through you ladies. :D Hm. Maybe it's time to watch Weeds on Netflix. *lol*

[Mama2Rio]

Originally Posted by yippiehippie 

I'm moving after Christmas...should get in new years! Where are you? I'll be in south scottsdale staying w/MIL till we can find something. We'll have to hook up;)

i'm in queen creek area. it'll be really easy to find a house. we bought a foreclosure last year and really just had our pick. we got lucky with a house that just needed to get flooring in the bathrooms and a few ceiling fans. good luck!

[Milkymommi]

Subbing... it's been a whiiiiiiiiile!!! since I've been round these parts!

[nkintzel]

In regard to drug testing babies and mamas-

I'm not in Georgia, I am in Indiana. But, unfortunately, I have some experience with this. In Indiana, they can drug test your baby if you haven't had "enough" prenatal care. That isn't well-defined. So, if they think that your prenatal care was "spotty" or "inadequate" then they can test WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE.

This happened to my SIL and niece. She was BFing when she got pregnant with DD2, so she didn't know she was pregnant for awhile. Then, she found out that she had an outstanding bill with her previous OB, so he wouldn't see her until it was paid. Anyway, so she ended up not getting any prenatal care until she was 6 months. When she delivered, the nurse asked her how many prenatal visits she had, it wasn't adequate, and they drug tested my niece. When she tested positive for THC, CPS got involved. They didn't take her, but my brother and SIL had to be randomly drug tested for a few months. It was pretty invasive. They also had to do drug classes and stuff.

So, check your state's laws. Sometimes, they will test for reasons that don't seem to make any sense.

[Milkymommi]

With regard to the testing of infants and mothers in the hospital... rule of thumb - just don't risk it. I don't care WHAT the rules are anywhere... I don't trust any part of the system. I always assume I'm going to be tested. I do smoke while pregnant but I always quit 8 weeks prior to edd. I'm willing to risk it up to that point and I do this realizing that the baby's mec will present with a positive THC. I feel comfortable as long as I can pass a urine. What an invasion of privacy

[greenmulberry]

The only person I know of who was tested at birth, was someone from my Bradley class who stopped going to prenatal visits at the hospital at 25 weeks (for personal, and legitimate reasons) she ended up getting prenatal care with a midwife, and was planning a homebirth, but had to transfer to the local hospital to deliver (after 30 hours of labor!).

They were in a tizzy because she "had no prenatal care after 25 weeks" and tested her for drugs. That seems to be a big trigger, what the hospital perceives as lack of prenatal care..

However, if I were you I would make sure I was clean for delivery.

[Peachy Green]

Thank you for your response! I've had consistent pre-natal care for this pregnancy and my last, so I don't think that will be in issue. I think it's a little(or a lot) invasive even in the case of interrupted, late start, or not complete pre-natal care to just jump on the drug-test train without having found out the reason why. Or maybe the biggest problem I have with the situation isn't the drug-testing itself, but the state laws requiring reporting upon a positive screening. I think if it's the physician's decision to test, it should be the physician's decision to report. The few MD's I know on a personal level do't believe marijuana to be harmful in any way. The "hands tied" position that a state can put the physician in is wrong. It takes away the rights of privacy of a woman just because she is pregnant. I think that a Dr should be able to drug-test, but I think that it should be without the fear from the patient that a positive will automatically put her in legal trouble and have her parental rights threatened. Dr's should have to get clear consent(not just "do you agree to any and all lab testing while under my care" type forms) to perform a drug test and a woman should be able toconsent without fear of legal reprocutions. That  way, the Dr and the woman could work out her pre-natal care, any treatment, and a plan for the baby so that the baby will arrive in this world as healthy as possible. If, say, the Dr then told the woman that her heroin,meth, marijuana, etc... use would negatively imact the fetus's outcome and the woman refused to do anything about it, then the physician has grounds and reason to report the woman.

 To me, this sounds like the most rational and healthy approach.

I'm sorry for your niece and her family for what must have been a very(unnecessarily) nerve-wracking few months. I hope that she and her little one are doing just fine now. :)

 Also, I just found the policy below. It is the newest info on induvidual state laws, it came out 12-1-10. It is truly the first thing I've come acorss that has concrete info on state laws.