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FEATUREThursday 23 July 2015
The Parent-Kid Pot Talk From Inside the Industry
LEANNE ITALIE This photo shows Todd Mitchem at his home near Denver. Mitchem is a cannabis consumer and port me because they see
Associated Press CEO of an app-based social network for cannabis enthusiasts, High There! He’s also the single dad I have a child? But over the
NEW YORK (AP) — Soon af- of three kids ages 11, 9 and 7. Mitchem says legal recreational marijuana has changed the pot past year, things in Colo-
ter Colorado legalized rec- conversation for him and other parents. rado have calmed down
reational cannabis, Todd quite a bit as far as that
Mitchem’s son proposed (Todd Mitchem via AP) goes. Outside of Colorado,
using the plant for a horti- there are still big problems
culture project at his Mon- like him, but he said all 10-year-old girl and 8-year- were like, ‘Wait a minute, I going on with parents and
tessori school in Denver. parents trying to find their old boy. know her,’ and that sort of just being able to use it
School officials said no way, way through the talk amid Farrington and her hus- thing,” she said. “Now it’s as medicine and have a
despite support from dad, rapid acceptance of legal band do not use cannabis, absolutely fine.” child.”
a regular weed user and marijuana can benefit from but she acknowledged her In addition to Colorado Bruce Barcott, 49, is a pot
chief executive of a dating some basic research be- timeline for talking to her and the District of Colum- user for both medical and
app and social network for fore spouting: “Because it’s kids about it was likely ac- bia, Washington state, recreational purposes. He
fellow enthusiasts. bad, Johnny.” celerated by her work. In Oregon and Alaska have lives outside Seattle and
“They didn’t want to touch Has Mitchem’s work and Colorado, where pot shops legalized marijuana for rec- consumes about once a
it. They weren’t ready to pot use changed the way are plentiful, not having the reational use. A number of month, but never around
touch it,” said Mitchem, he is perceived among pot conversation isn’t an states have also decrimi- his kids, a 13-year-old son
who is divorced and shares other parents? option. nalized the possession of and a 16-year-old daugh-
custody of his kids, ages 11, “As a cannabis busi- “It comes up on the eve- small amounts of pot and ter. He’s also the author of
9 and 7. ness person I’ve been all ning news. You drive down passed medical marijuana a new book on the future
That was early 2013. Now, over the news, so the par- the street and you’re laws. of legal marijuana in Ameri-
pot is everywhere in the ents of my kids’ friends passing a dispensary and Brittany Driver, 30, owns a ca, “Weed the People.”
state, along with three know me,” he said. “Some there’s a funny smell,” she cannabis public relations “I had real qualms as a par-
others and the District of kids’ parents won’t let their said. agency in Denver, writes ent writing this book,” he
Columbia that pushed be- kids hang out at my house. Farrington’s company held frequently about the indus- said. “I mean, here I am
yond sanctioned medicinal They don’t say why. Other its first national cannabis try and is co-chairman of a writing a book about pot
use to legal consumption parents are fascinated by conference in Denver soon chapter of Women Grow, and I’ve got two young
just because. it.” after the state constitution which supports women in teenagers in my house.”
Mitchem, 44, has been Cassandra Farrington, 43, was amended in 2012 to the business. She is a user of His pot conversation has
speaking openly to his kids is co-founder and chief ex- allow for adult recreational medical marijuana to stim- been a running dialogue,
about cannabis since he ecutive of Marijuana Busi- consumption. It was a high- ulate her appetite, and she he said.
first entered the industry a ness Daily, a Denver-based profile affair. has a 3-year-old son. “We would stop and start
couple of years ago. He industry publishing and “That’s when I basically got “Even with legal marijua- in little snippets, maybe on
co-founded the app High conference planning com- ‘outed’ within my local so- na, there was still a lot of the drive to school or over
There! in addition to run- pany. She’s also a Girl Scout cial community. Some par- trepidation,” she said. “Is dinner. My daughter, es-
ning it. troop leader and mom to a ents in my Girl Scout troop a neighbor going to re- pecially, thought it was hi-
So how has legal weed larious that her father was
changed the parenting writing a book about pot.
pot conversation for him It’s an interesting opener,”
and others raising kids while Barcott said. “I wanted to
working in the fast-grow- really talk with them about
ing business segment? marijuana in a way that
“My kids know everything,” came from a place of hon-
he said. “My 11-year-old esty and factual data and
son is the playground edu- truth and not have to resort
cator. They know probably to some sort of scare tactic
more about cannabis than to keep them off pot.”
most grown-ups who are Pretending, in a legal or ille-
not in the space. We talk gal state, that teens aren’t
about the facts. We talk going to encounter mari-
about the science.” juana is not realistic, Bar-
Mitchem doesn’t fire up cott said.
around his kids, but he has “I told my daughter, ‘Look,
partaken of small amounts it’s hard enough to main-
in edibles “when we’re tain a good GPA as it is.
all hanging out together, Imagine trying to do that
watching a movie or some- when you’re drunk three
thing like that.” nights a week or if you’re
He added: “They’re very using pot,’” he said.
aware of the cannabis Barcott remembers the
brownies that are in the re- time he brought home a
frigerator that they’re not small cannabis plant to
allowed to touch.” photograph and study for
It’s also not OK for them to his book. It did not go un-
try pot in any other form. noticed by his kids.
Not only is it illegal since “They were, like, ‘Is that
they’re under 21, but it’s a pot plant?’ We had a
bad for their developing great conversation,” he
brains, dad said. said. “We said, ‘Look, this is
The pot conversation can a marijuana plant. It’s been
be trickier for industry folks demonized for 75 years.q
