KANSAS CITY - Some Missouri moms say marijuana takes the edge off of parenting.
Kimberlee Kesterson and Jessica Carroll are founders of the group STL Cannamoms. They work in the cannabis industry and have a facebook group with thousands of members.
"Our intention behind the group was it's so hard to make friends when you're in the thick of motherhood," Kesterson tells Total Information A.M. "So we wanted to create a group where we all had one thing in common,"
"I know one of my biggest fears with my 12 year old is what if she has a friend come over and her friend's parent judges me for consuming cannabis and then doesn't allow her kid to come over to my house anymore. So, I really wanted to find a way to create a space to where it's like, hey, you smoke, I smoke, cool, let's go to the park, let our kids play."
There are people out there who will want to know why are you using marijuana?
Carroll responds, "I used to be an alcoholic. I am 3 years sober, so I feel like that person that I was was not a good version of myself, and by being able to use cannabis in place of alcohol, it's completely different in the way that I do everything. I feel happy, I feel healthy, I feel present, all of those things."
Both moms are very open about their cannabis consumption with their children.
"They understand that it is 'Mommy's Medicine' - that they are not supposed to play with it, that they're not supposed to touch it. They're more than welcome to ask questions about it, but it is something for adults, for medication," Carroll says.
Comments in the Facebook group say they feel like pot helps them be better parents.
Kesterson says she was diagnosed with ADHD later in life and pot helps. "When my emotions are out of whack, it helps me stay more present, more patient," says Kesterson. "There are some strains out there that will make my anxiety worse, which is again why education is so important and why starting low and going slow, also very important."
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