Policy

Can Pot Smokers Be Good Parents? The Answer May Shock You.

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ABC News

Last night ABC's Nightline introduced the nation to "pot-smoking moms" who are "unapologetic about getting high." Watch as Denver pot party planner Jane West, founder of Edible Events, patiently explains to Juju Chang that marijuana is not inherently more problematic, vis-a-vis parenting or any other responsibility, than alcohol. The same practical and ethical distinctions apply to both drugs, West argues. I agree. It's nice to see this straightforward argument getting respectful treatment from a national news outlet, although it's annoying that what West and her friends do to "let loose" is still treated as semi-scandalous. Also irritating: the two-way sexism of assuming that women have a special responsibility to stay sober and that men never take care of children.

I interviewed West for a story about pot tourism in the November issue of Reason, which is not available online yet but which you could already be reading if you were a subscriber.