'I'm a mum to an 11yo daughter. This is why I smoke weed every night.'

Being a mum is one of the most rewarding things that can happen in your life. But it can also be one of the most challenging.

Not for the faint-hearted, launching into becoming a parent comes with sticky, messy, heartbreaking and beautiful moments. It tests your resolve, shows you parts of yourself you never thought existed — and you often surprise yourself with how much you can tolerate.

Whether you're a new first-time mum, you're navigating illnesses with a toddler or you've got a school-aged child experiencing big emotions, all the seasons come with their unique challenges.

And sometimes it all builds up and we just need a little time out to recalibrate.

For some mums, that first sip of Pinot Grigio after putting the kids to bed after a long week is an immediate antidote to the buildup of of stress. For others, setting aside 'me time' for a monthly facial is an absolutely necessary part of their regimen. Perhaps you like kicking back and watching an episode of Vanderpump Rules to smooth the edges of your fried brain. 

Whatever your mum self-care looks like, chances are it's an essential part of making sure the wheels don't fall off so to speak.

But for a growing number of mums, mitigating the stresses of daily life is being done by indulging in marijuana. 

We first reported on the growing number of Aussie 'gummy mummies' searching for alcohol alternatives to destress back in January of this year. Thanks to the growing trend in the US, this has flowed through to the Southern Hemisphere, with more and more women accessing medicinal marijuana to deal with concerns like insomnia, anxiety or pain.

The stats tell us there were approximately 126,500 approved applications for medicinal cannabis between 2016 and May 2021 in Australia — a number that shot up to more than 300,000 in 2022, according to the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA).

While products like medicinal cannabis and CBD can still be pretty hard to come by in Australia, over in America, plenty of states have made weed legal to purchase. This has been a welcome development for a lot of mums who say they use cannabis to help them destress.

One of those mums is writer Jamilah Lemieux, who opened up on Slate's Care & Feeding podcast about why she chooses to smoke weed while parenting her 11-year-old daughter, Naima.

"It helps me with my anxiety," she told the hosts. "It helps me sleep on occasion. And at times, it helps me to be a better parent."

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When quizzed on how she believes the drug assists her parenting, she said, "The times that I've used it around her have allowed me to be present and engaged and, you know, [a] more relaxed parent."

The hosts had plenty of questions for Jamilah, and she was more than obliging with her answers — including when she was quizzed on how much and how often she's using marijuana.

"Generally during the week, particularly on days where I have Naima, I smoke before dinner," she said. "I may smoke a little earlier in the day and, like, Saturday and Sunday, but generally, like, Monday through Friday is just in the evenings."

Watch: Nitty Gritty: Wil Anderson on medical marijuana. Story continues below.

While this admission might seem alarming to some, Jamilah insists she has a good handle on making sure she uses weed in a way she considers responsible — something she believes many people who drink alcohol don't know how to do.

"I can't tell you the last time I was stoned," she said. "I'm just not smoking that much at a time. Just the same way, like, you can have a drink or you can have five drinks, and those are going to have a very different [effect]."

Keeping a handle on how affected she lets herself get is top of mind for Jamilah, who also explained she keeps a very open, age-appropriate dialogue with her daughter about her usage.

"Naima is aware of the fact that I use weed, and we've talked about it as being an adult thing, much like alcohol, you know, and it's not something that she sees me overindulge in."

While some may read these snippets from Jamilah's interview and immediately feel taken back by her relaxed attitude to smoking weed while caring for her daughter, it does bring up some interesting points, both about the responsible use of alcohol and things like CBD or gummies, particularly when medically — legally — acquired.

We are entering a new era of wider social acceptance around marijuana and its derivatives — so perhaps we're going to start seeing a new generation of parenting behaviour reflecting this shift.

Feature Image: Canva.