A few years ago, Caitlin Fladager was battling crippling anxiety that just wouldn't go away. Eventually, the young Canadian mom from Abbotsford, British Columbia, tried something new to help manage it: She started smoking pot. The results, she says, were remarkable, and today, she claims to be a better wife and mother because of it.
Still, Fladager often finds herself defending her actions because she's a mother, and she decided to sound off about it in a now-viral Instagram post that's making waves.
'Yes, I have two kids. Yes, I smoke weed daily,' her post begins. 'It’s so funny to me how frowned upon marijuana is.'
Something she takes issue with the most is that drinking culture — especially wine drinking culture — is normalized among women, and yes, mothers, throughout the world. But weed — a natural substance that in small doses has been proven effective for reducing anxiety and depression, and easing chronic pain — still carries a stigma in many parts of the world.
"No one looks twice when a mom says she enjoys 'mom juice' aka wine, after her kids are in bed," Fladager wrote in an Instagram post this week. "But when a mom says she smokes weed, it’s a huge shock."
In her post, Fladager can be seen smoking pot with one hand and holding up a letter board with the other.
Except this letter board isn't like most you may see moms holding up across Instagram. This one gives it to you straight.
"Mom truth," it reads. "Weed should be just as acceptable as a glass of wine."
Fladager writes that the reason she's talking openly about this is to bring awareness and put an end to all the judgment.
"I feel as not enough people talk about this," she wrote. "Marijuana has helped me so much, especially when it comes to being a mom. I have never been the most patient with my two kids. Weed makes me a better mom, as I get a good night sleep after I smoke. I wake up well rested, and with a more clear mind. "
Fladager told Yahoo Lifestyle that her post was sparked by recent questions from other school parents that left her feeling judged.
Although marijuana is not legal in all parts of the world (and in the US, it is only permitted in some states and in the District of Columbia), it is legal in Canada, where Fladager lives. Hence the reason why all the judgment from her peers has been wearing on her.
“I talk about my smoking openly and I recommend it when someone mentions they’re stressed,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle. “Younger parents usually have no problem with it, but some tell me that I have a drug problem and that marijuana is a gateway drug.”
By speaking out, Fladager hopes to remind others that it's OK to seek alternative forms of treatment that are deemed safe.
Although CBD oils or antidepressants may work for some, for others, such as Fladager, the answer is weed — in small, manageable doses.
"Marijuana is my glass of wine," she writes. "It’s my can of beer. It’s my relaxation time. You can still be a kick a– mom, and smoke weed."
Her message has struck a chord with many, who have felt similar kinds of judgments themselves.
"Just as acceptable if not more so," one woman wrote on Instagram. "Alcohol has many more negative side affects than weed."
"Love this and weed, it keeps me sane!" wrote another.
"Yes finally someone said it!!!" another commenter added. "It’s honestly way safer than getting drunk anyways. This momma of three loves her weed and snacks before I fall fast asleep!!"
According to multiple studies, recreational marijuana has been deemed less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, which is part of what has led to its gradual decriminalization in many states. In fact, a 2015 report published in Scientific American revealed that compared to the fatality risk of nine other drugs (including alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, amphetamine and methadone), marijuana was found to be the safest — by far.
Fladager notes that she does have rules and limitations behind her weed smoking, and is certainly not suggesting parents get "baked" while their kids are around.
“I don’t get behind the wheel after I smoke,” Fladager told Yahoo Lifestyle, “and I’m not zoned out on the couch with snacks, either.”
She also clarified that she smokes multiple times per week, but her children have never actually seen it.
Despite the criticism she knows she'll receive (and has received) for being vocal about her pot smoking, Fladager is focusing on the mamas she's helping.
"THIS!!!" wrote one mom on her Instagram post. "Your posts help ease my momma guilt so much."
In the end, that's all Fladager really hopes to do.
