Cheryl Shuman and the Rise of the Marijuana Moms

Cheryl Shuman has been making appearances on all the big networks lately speaking about the benefits of cannabis. Shuman had the courage to come out and publicly declare cannabis made her a better mom and she is talking to anybody that will listen. She may just change how the world thinks about moms using marijuana. And that ain’t nothing but a good thing.

Shuman speaks beautifully and she is very knowledgeable about cannabis. She’s a wonderful voice for the cause and gives the public a very different image of what a typical cannabis user looks like. No wonder she won the Activist of the Year Award at Seattle Hempfest last month. But, as legalization becomes a reality and more moms turn to the leaf for relief, hopefully the direction of media coverage will focus on everyday moms—not the mom that lives in the 90210 zip code, owns a dispensary, is all over the media and drives a Ferrari. No disrespect to Shuman and her success, she earned it and she’s an inspiration. But the point is that the overwhelming majority of mom’s using marijuana sport the ever-so-popular hair-in-a-ponytail look with no makeup. They wear tennis shoes, jeans and t-shirts and drive Hondas. And they deserve to be represented too.

CNN’s Piers Morgan recently had a panel of “Marijuana Moms” on his show discussing the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Shuman and three other moms were on the panel telling their stories of how cannabis saved them from anxiety, depression, cancer, chronic pain, etc. All the moms on the panel rocked it. And kudos should be given to them for coming out of the “closet” in a very public forum. It’s no easy feat to come out to the PTA on CNN and scream to the world that you are a cannabis consumer—especially when pundits in the lamestream media like Morgan say ignorant shit like; “I had no idea what to expect. Part of me thought I would get a bunch of stoners in here. Clearly, I did not.”

WTF PIERS MORGAN? What do you think a stoner looks like? Maybe you did get a bunch of stoners up in there. What’s the problem with that? Actually, isn’t a stoner just someone who chooses to enjoy cannabis? Is there really a reason to differentiate between “stoner” and “medicator” and glorify one at the expense of the other? All moms are consuming weed for a reason, whether that reason is sanctioned by a recommendation or not, there’s no need for labels or judgment.

An explosion is taking place within the marijuana movement. Shuman pointed it out during the Morgan interview when she said, “this is the Green Rush”. People around the world are trying to define their role within this rapidly evolving movement and they don’t need to be categorized or judged. After all, we’re talking about people using a plant that’s given to us by nature and meant to be consumed without judgment. Whether you’re a “stoner,” a “pot head” or a “marijuana mom”—everyone deserves the same freedoms regardless of the reason they choose to use cannabis, marijuana, Mary Jane, weed—whatever name you want to put on it, or put on yourself.

Cannabis helps moms—moms in power suits or moms in Phish shirts. It helps them sustain healthy, functioning, loving households. Whether you’re a “Stoner mom” or a “mom with a Dr. recommendation to smoke weed” we are all just trying to love the plant, raise the next generation and make our way through life the best we can.