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For many people, telling their families and friends about their medical condition can
be challenging. And it's no different for people who have to use medical cannabis except
for the fact that they might get some chuckles and snickers. The reality is that there isn't
very much information about cannabis as medicine. It hasn't dominated our mainstream culture.
And I think you've probably noticed, whether it's The Simpsons or other sitcoms that make
jokes about people using cannabis medically. And at this point, I think people are pretty
apt to say if they're caught using marijuana that they were using it medically.
So when you're about to tell your friends and family, expect some skepticism. You know,
this is not something that they're used to. And they, you know, already have a lot of
preconceived notions about marijuana.
So at Americans for Safe Access what we advise is that you actually sit down and talk to
your family ahead of time. Don't let them find out. And just be open with them about
your use and explain how you're going to use it. And really listen to their concerns. The
truth is that even if you're in a medical cannabis state where it's legal, there are
still problems with law enforcement. There are still problems with civil courts. And
so you should expect your family to be a little concerned.
The best way to address the concerns of your family is to listen. See what theirs are and
see how you can work together to make sure that there isn't a disruption in your life
because of your medical cannabis use. This may include talking to your partner about
how much you plan to spend on medical cannabis. It may include where you're going to store
it in the house. It may also include where you're not going to use it if you're smoking.
Your partner may not want you to be in the living room. And so the more that you can
be open with them and figure out what their concerns are, the better.
Now another issue that you're going to find is that they don't really understand how marijuana
is medicine. And so if you go to americansforsafeaccess.org, we've created several booklets that were designed
just for this instance. For you to take to your family and let them hear from doctors
and scientists that will back up your medical use. And you'll find that once they understand
that this is helping you and making you better, they're going to be a lot more comfortable.
There are some added responsibilities to using cannabis as a medicine, and so the best thing
that you can do is be proactive with your family and friends and make sure that they're
comfortable with your use. But also, make sure that they understand how it's helping
you because the more that they understand the efficacy and they see their friend or
their loved one getting better, the more that they're going to understand your use as well
as respect the issue.