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

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.