Parents Using Pot: Okay or Not Okay?

Is it okay for parents to use medical marijuana? It depends on how. CDC warns that THC can be passed to infants and children through secondhand smoke, and CDC advises keeping cannabis products in a locked childproof container, out of children’s reach. We add one rule of our own: a sober adult should always be able to respond to a child.

You may worry about how that question will sound to family and friends.

Or maybe you’re a parent who wants to use medical marijuana but dreads having that conversation. You may even be postponing treatment because of it.

Decades of messaging have told people that marijuana is bad, especially around kids. Even with a legal medical program in Florida, there’s still a stigma around it.

Whether parents using pot is okay depends less on the plant than on how it is used. Below is what the research says about the risks, including poison center data on edibles.

At the same time, we’ll give you four important questions to consider before deciding whether or not it’s a road you want to go down.

Parents Need Medicine: Just Like Everybody Else

When we hear the phrase “I’m using pot,” it has a certain connotation to it.

But when we hear someone say, “I’m taking my medicine,” it sounds a lot different, right?

The first one sounds like something you shouldn’t be doing. The second one sounds like something that’s perfectly fine.

Same substance, different phrasing.

Medical marijuana is legal under Florida law for patients with qualifying conditions. It may not feel that way because of the stigma, but NIH reports that some evidence suggests modest benefits for chronic pain, and it is not a cure.

When you have a headache, it’s okay to take ibuprofen or aspirin. If a doctor prescribes a medicine for your chronic pain, having kids does not change whether you take it, only how carefully you plan around it.

With any type of medicine that has serious side effects, you have to exercise caution when taking it.

Marijuana deserves the same care: it can slow reaction time and affect memory, and it can interact with other medicines.

A Glass of Wine After the Kids Go to Bed? What About a Nighttime Dose?

We see only medical patients; people who use marijuana to unwind without a card break Florida law.

Some parents only use marijuana at night, after the kids have already been tucked away in bed.

If that sounds shocking, consider the fact that many parents have a glass of wine after the kids are asleep. Both can impair you, so the same rule applies: a sober adult should be able to respond if a child needs help.

What Some Parents Say About Marijuana and Stress

It’s 2 AM and the baby is crying. Again.

Or maybe it’s 3 AM. It’s hard to tell. By this point, you’ve lost track of time.

Raising a child can be deeply rewarding. It can also be stressful. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or lose your temper.

Some parents say they use marijuana to manage stress, although CDC notes it can also cause anxiety and paranoia.

Wanting relief from stress does not mean a parent is neglecting their children. Still, no study cited on this page shows that marijuana makes anyone a calmer or more patient parent, so treat any such story as one person’s experience.

All Medicine Should Be Used Responsibly, Including Marijuana

Prescription drugs usually come with warning labels. That way, you know about the possible side effects, as well as possible negative interactions with other medications.

Medical marijuana is no different.

All types of drugs can be used inappropriately or irresponsibly. So really, the issue isn’t whether or not parents using pot is okay.

It’s really a question of how parents are using pot.

We can’t tell you whether it’s okay for you to use marijuana while parenting. Your physician can help you weigh that.

However, we can give you a list of questions to think about if you do plan on parenting while medicated.

4 Questions for Parents Who Use Marijuana

1. Are you still able to be productive?

As a parent, the well-being of your kids always comes first, and your marijuana use shouldn’t impair your ability to care for them. If it leaves you too drowsy or distracted to supervise your children, talk with your physician.

So that’s the first question to think about: are you still able to perform your parental duties on a consistent basis?

2. Is your marijuana use harming you and the people around you?

Not being able to perform your daily tasks is an issue of productivity.

But depending on your marijuana tolerance level, you could be putting yourself and your child’s safety at risk. Especially when you:

• Consume marijuana before driving your child somewhere
• Find it difficult to walk straight or hold objects without dropping them
• Suffer from short-term memory loss, which makes you forget basic safety practices, like turning your stove off when you’re done cooking

Again, marijuana affects people in different ways. Much of it depends on the dose, the THC level and the kind of product you’re using. There’s a big difference between taking a CBD-dominant product and consuming a concentrate that’s more than 40 percent THC, which NIDA says some dispensary flower and concentrates reach.

The amount you use should be set with your physician, not by trial and error.

3. Will you use marijuana in front of your children?

Some parents use cannabis in front of their children, but CDC warns that THC can pass to infants and children through secondhand smoke.

Others have strict rules about only using it when the kids are out of sight.

Some go even further, not only going outside to medicate, but waiting until their children are put to bed.

Keep smoke away from children and lock edibles away: poison centers recorded 7,043 edible cannabis exposures in children under 6 from 2017 to 2021, and 22.7% were admitted to hospital.

4. Are you ready to talk to your children about your marijuana use?

Children learn from what their parents do. A 2019 national survey study of 24,900 parent and child pairs found that teens whose mothers used marijuana were more likely to use it themselves.

If they see you using marijuana often, even for medical reasons, they may assume it is fine for them too.

And that’s where you need to be proactive. We’re not saying you should sign up your kid for D.A.R.E. classes, but it’s important that you’re ready to have a conversation with them about marijuana and drug use in general.

A 2014 review found that teens who use marijuana heavily often show disadvantages in thinking skills, and CDC notes the brain keeps developing until about age 25. Marijuana is also still a federally controlled substance: since April 28, 2026, marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license is in Schedule III, and all other marijuana stays in Schedule I.

If you want to talk it through, your physician or your child’s pediatrician can answer questions about safe storage and use at home.

What do you think about parents using pot? Is it totally okay or totally irresponsible? Connect with us on Facebook and let us know what you think.

Florida law (section 381.986(2), Florida Statutes) lists these qualifying medical conditions:

• Cancer
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• HIV (positive status)
• AIDS
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Crohn’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• A terminal condition diagnosed by a physician other than the one who certifies you
• Chronic nonmalignant pain caused by, or originating from, a qualifying medical condition and lasting beyond its usual course

After examining you, a qualified physician may also certify you for another condition if it is of the same kind or class as, or comparable to, one of the listed conditions other than a terminal condition or chronic nonmalignant pain; that decision is at the physician’s discretion, and certification is never promised. A qualified physician decides whether to certify you, the first step toward a Florida medical marijuana card. Schedule an appointment with us online today.

Last updated October 18, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Sources

• CDC. Cannabis and Secondhand Smoke
• CDC. Cannabis and Mental Health
• CDC. Cannabis and Teens
• NCCIH. Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know
• NIDA. Cannabis (Marijuana)
• Tweet MS, et al. Pediatric Edible Cannabis Exposures and Acute Toxicity: 2017-2021. Pediatrics. 2023 (PubMed)
• Madras BK, et al. Associations of Parental Marijuana Use With Offspring Marijuana, Tobacco, and Alcohol Use and Opioid Misuse. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 (PubMed)
• Jacobus J, Tapert SF. Effects of cannabis on the adolescent brain. Curr Pharm Des. 2014 (PubMed)
• Federal Register, April 28, 2026, FR Doc. 2026-08176, Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling (govinfo, PDF)
• The 2026 Florida Statutes, s. 381.986, Medical use of marijuana (Florida Senate)
• CDC. Cannabis and Poisoning