Cannabis and motherhood is a complex and taboo topic that deserves a more nuanced conversation. Moms (and parents, generally) who consume cannabis are not inherently bad parents, any more than parents who drink are bad parents. The stigma around cannabis has pervaded this conversation to the point where it’s challenging to have a real discussion about it. In this series, I aim to highlight the reality of moms who consume cannabis, why they do it, and how they approach the conversation with their children.
Mom Spotlight
Name: Kenya Alexander
Location: Texas
Occupation: CEO, Stashbag Data
Kids: 3 kids, 9-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter, and 4-year-old daughter
Preferred consumption method: Drinks and vapes
Everyone in my life is better for my consuming cannabis. Especially my kids, because I spend so much time with them.
Cannabis & Motherhood: Kenya Alexander
Kenya Alexander is someone who oozes cool. By the time I met her in person at the 2024 Boston NECANN, I felt like we were old friends. With her “God’s Favorite” t-shirt and her effusively friendly energy, Kenya is someone who personifies the best of the cannabis industry: authenticity, connection, and a splash of spice.
As a mom of three living in Texas, Kenya and I didn’t seem to have much in common on the surface, except a deep respect and appreciation for weed. But from the first time we hopped on a Zoom call, Kenya and I have been easy friends.
An Evolving Relationship with Cannabis
On LinkedIn and Instagram, Kenya is open about her daily journey as a mom and a cannabis consumer. She proudly shares her kids’ milestones next to her sesh photos, alongside videos of meditation with her 4-year-old daughter. But you may be surprised to know that Kenya’s relationship with the cannabis plant was anything but easy.
In fact, her relationship was tenuous at first.
“I had a friend who sold weed, so I was around it, but I hated the feeling of being high. It didn’t feel good in my body; being high made me feel like I wasn’t in control.”
She chalks up her early experiences to living in a state of heightened anxiety that weed gave her an unexpected – and unwelcome – break from.
But something in the plant continued to call to Kenya for years.
“I tried again to start consuming after I had my oldest, but I had a really low tolerance. I used the weed to get friends and family to visit – to gather community around me.”
Ultimately, it was the birth of her third child that was the catalyst for getting into cannabis.
“The shift from two [kids] to three is really hard. Having my third kid was chaos; my second was only two years old. When she came, I found myself in a life far from what I expected, as a stay-at-home mom of three kids living in the suburbs.”
Motherhood Brought Her to Cannabis
Parenthood brought her back to the cannabis plant, this time in a more welcoming headspace.
“Being a parent is so much sensory overload at all times. Kids challenge you to slow down and be present and patient. Cannabis helps me shed that need to perform motherhood, and it calms the part of my brain that always wants to go, go, go.”
As her kids have gotten older, Kenya has found more room in her life for cannabis.
“I love being a mom, but there were many years I didn’t want kids. It was a tough adjustment for a time. Now it’s my favorite thing to do, but it takes so much out of you. Cannabis has given me space to lean into who I am, and the space to be myself.”
Normalizing Weed in the Deep South
Kenya is determined to have her kids grow up knowing the cannabis plant is no big deal.
“We have Fat Nugs all over the house. It’s normal for my kids that mom consumes cannabis. My 10-year-old, sometimes he doesn’t want me to smoke, but we talk about mindful consumption.”
Normalization means answering all questions – like the ones her daughters have while they flip through The Big Book of Terpenes or the ones that come up when her son wants to know more about Mom’s job. It also means not reacting strongly when a little one picks up the pen.
“My kids have been hands-on with my products, and I don’t make it a big deal. It’s a natural part of Mom’s day, and they know this is for adults only.”
Kenya acknowledges that there is a stigma against cannabis and parenthood.
“For many people, a good mom is not one who smokes.”
But the plant (and sometimes, smoking) gives Kenya exactly what she needs to show up as a more present mom.
“Cannabis has made my motherhood so much better. It’s made the entire experience more enjoyable because it gives me space. For so long, I felt like I was going through the motions of motherhood without feeling connected to the action. Society views motherhood as all-consuming. Cannabis gives me the space to find myself again in this journey.”
Any parent knows, raising kids is a challenge, and it’s easy to lose sight of what your kids are going through as they grow up in the face of your daily demands.
“Weed helps me maintain patience – the patience it takes to remember that my kids are little human beings learning the world, and how I treat them now is how they’ll interact with the world later.”
Kenya found the cannabis industry at the same time that she dove into the plant. The network and community she found online is incredibly weed-affirming – so much so that sometimes, Kenya forgets she lives in Texas.
“I’m a PTO mom. I volunteer at my kids’ school. In my line of work, cannabis is not a big deal. But I’m an advocate in Texas, and there are real risks here. Wearing a weed shirt to a PTO meeting is an act of rebellion. I want the other parents to know I’m a resource for this plant, without being ‘the weed lady.’ I want to represent the normalcy of cannabis.”
Kenya’s passion for the cannabis plant is obvious in even a short conversation with her. As she blazes forward with advocacy and motherhood in Texas, cannabis is there to support her.
“Everyone in my life is better for my consuming cannabis. Especially my kids, because I spend so much time with them. I’m so grateful for the plant, the cannabis industry, and this community because it’s truly given me the space to show up as me.”
You can contact Kenya via email or connect with her on LinkedIn.
