Mums who smoke weed like me are great parents – it makes me way more patient, I’m sick of trolls calling me a bad mum
A MUM who regularly smokes weed has hit back at all the trolls who accuse her of being a bad parent.
28-year-old Caitlin Fladager lives in Vancouver, Canada, where the use of recreational and medicinal marijuana was made legal in 2018.
The mum-of-two has been very open about smoking weed on a regular basis, which she insisted made her a better parent.
Of course, Caitlin revealed, there are numerous stereotypes around this class B drug and she’s often trolled for her marijuana habits.
Sharing a video on Facebook, the 28-year-old revealed that a lot of people tend to assume she gets lazy once she goes through her weed stash.
In their eyes, Caitlin would grab a box of snacks and munch her way through it, not really paying much attention to her offsprings.
The reality, she hit back at all the trolls online, is much different – she’d whip up healthy snacks for her two kids, do the laundry and clean the house with a sudden burst of motivation and energy.
Desperate to break the stigma, Caitlin added that those mums who smoke weed just like her are good mums.
It’s not just the social media users that know about her habits – last year, the mum revealed that her kids, aged six and eight, have been made aware of it too.
Explaining why she chose to tell them about her weed stash, Caitlin said: “It is medicine and I want my kids to know about more natural options.
“I want to be always be open with them and reduce the stigma [marijuana] has.”
What’s more, the mum also compared her marijuana use to other parents drinking alcohol and previously called a spliff her “glass of wine”.
She added: “I never hid drinking wine from them so I won’t hide [weed] either.”
As Caitlin has been so honest about how she uses weed to help with her anxiety, the mum said her kids refer to it as “mommy’s little helper” on her “hard days”.
Posting on Instagram, she previously said: “I have never been the most patient with my two kids.
“Weed makes me a better mom, as I get a good night’s sleep after I smoke. I wake up well rested, and with a more clear mind.”
Caitlin added that she only smokes weed once her kids are in bed, and she uses it in place of antidepressants.
“I knew I would be met with criticism, scepticism, and questions.
“But in my mind, that was all worth it if I could show at least one person a slightly more natural way to cope with mental health problems.”
Caitlin got pregnant with her high school sweetheart Noah when she was 18 years old and the married couple now share two children, Adriana and Jack.
Is marijuana illegal in the UK?
It’s a crime in the UK to possess, grow, distribute, sell or grow cannabis.
Being caught with cannabis comes with a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.
While being convicted of producing and supplying the Class B drug carries up to 14 years behind bars, an unlimited fine, or both.
Police can issue a warning or on-the-spot fine if you’re caught with a small amount – generally less than one ounce – if it is deemed for personal use.
Is it illegal to smoke cannabis in your own home?
Cannabis has been illegal in the UK since 1928 and is regulated stringently by the Government.
As the punishments suggest, it’s completely illegal to smoke weed anywhere in Britain – including on your own property.
However, some police forces have taken a more laid-back attitude to the recreational drug, which is believed to be the most popular in the UK.
Prosecution rates for cannabis possession are as low as 15 per cent in Cornwall and Devon, while Durham Police have said they will no longer target recreational users at all.
Is medical marijuana legal in the UK?
Medical forms of marijuana are available over the counter or by prescription in the UK – but it is heavily monitored and regulated.
Doctors were given the go-ahead to prescribe cannabis products to patients from November 1, 2018.
The rules apply to England, Wales and Scotland, the former Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in a written statement.
It follows several high-profile cases, including young epilepsy sufferers Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil.
In order for a cannabis product to be considered medicinal it must meet three requirements: it “needs to be a preparation or product which contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative; it is produced for medicinal use in humans and; is a medicinal product, or a substance or preparation for use as an ingredient of, or in the production of an ingredient of, a medicinal product”, according to Mr Javid’s statement.
In July 2019, it was ruled that the NHS could prescribe cannabis-based medicine to treat Lennox Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
Trials of the drug were carried out at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital on children who were having multiple seizures a day.
Results showed the drug stopped the seizures in many cases and significantly reduced them in others.
The decision by the European Medicines Agency has to be confirmed in two months, but that is expected to be a formality paving the way for the liquid medicine to be available on the NHS later this year for dozens of children affected by the two conditions.
Where is weed legal?
Malta became the first European country to legalise marijuana for recreational use in 2021, after decriminalising it in 2018.
Weed has been decriminalised for personal use in a number of countries, including the Netherlands and Portugal, which decriminalised the use of all drugs in 2001.
Canada legalised cannabis for medicinal purposes in 2001. But in October 2018 they became the first G7 nation to legalise recreational use of the drug.
Other countries that have legalised recreational use include Georgia, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay.
There are 47 countries worldwide that allow medical use of marijuana such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico and New Zealand.
Some US states have legalised recreational marijuana while many allow it for medicinal use only.
Rhode Island was the latest to decriminalise recreational use in May 2022.