Being a Canna-Dad with Daniel Crawford
Canna-Dad Spotlight
Name: Daniel Crawford Location: Minnesota Occupation: COO at FNM and Post-Harvest and Production Supervisor at Verio Kids: 1 daughter, age 8 Preferred consumption method: smoking joints and glassBeing a Canna-Dad with Daniel Crawford
Daniel Crawford is the quintessential stoner. With his long hair, long beard, and penchant for tie-dye, it’s easy to see why some people in the industry have lovingly nicknamed him Weed Jesus. He loves flower, rolling joints, and smoking out of glass bowls. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to light up with him, he probably brought a hash hole to the sesh.“I’m a safe space for the other parents to talk. The fear of consuming cannabis sometimes outweighs any benefit it might bring, so I want to educate people.”
Daniel’s love for cannabis dates back over 20 years, making it one of the longest-running relationships of his life. He describes “coming together” with cannabis in high school through the classic combination of friends and the local music scene.
Daniel also has a well-earned reputation as a fantastic grower, a skill he began to hone early in college, just a few short years after his first introduction to the plant.
“It was a treat and motivation,” Daniel said. “We’d pay our dues at the library, and then we could smoke.” 
Growing weed was a natural fit for Daniel, who grew up on a farm and was majoring in ecology. He also saw the medicinal properties of cannabis quickly.
“My wife, then-girlfriend, had a lot of GI issues, and the only thing that really helped her at the time was cannabis.”
These days, he’s been growing nearly as long as he’s been smoking. He credits growing cannabis for firmly turning him on the path of the plant and away from other substances. “When I was growing, I had more. I started drinking less and smoking more.”
He also credits growing with helping him connect more deeply to the cannabis he was consuming. “Growing let me know the plant intimately – every bit of it. When I started consuming, I didn’t buy it, pack it, or roll it. I was totally disconnected from it.
He describes cultivation as a passion. “I got really into Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower’s Bible by Jorge Cervantes. I would go to Barnes & Noble and just read the High Times there. I got to know the plant intimately. And I got to grow better weed for me, my friends, and my family.”
Creating a Cannabis-Friendly Family
Daniel always knew fatherhood was in the cards for him. “I always knew I wanted to have kids. I love big families.” Since he and his wife share a love for cannabis, they knew it would be normalized in their home years before their daughter came around. “I lived in Wisconsin for a while. Post-work drinking is totally acceptable. In my house, cannabis is that equivalent.” His daughter is now eight and healthy, but the road to parenthood was not easy. Daniel has shared some of his experience with cannabis and parenthood in the Fat Nugs Kid & Cannabis edition, where he wrote about his wife Melissa’s experience during pregnancy with severe hyperemis garvedarium as a cannabis consumer. “We wanted to do our due diligence on pharmaceuticals and understand the best path forward with the fewest side effects [for her conditions while pregnant]. But all the information out there was fear-mongering. When she stopped consuming cannabis and tried the medications, she had horrible side effects. Her condition deteriorated to the point where it could have jeopardized the pregnancy. Cannabis was the way she could eat and stay hydrated.” The goal of any parent is to bring home a healthy baby, and nearly a decade later, that’s still true. “We have a smart, healthy daughter.”
Cannabis & Fatherhood: Talking to Kids About Weed
The conversation around cannabis in the house started when Daniel’s daughter was young, in age-appropriate terms. “She’s known from a young age that cannabis is our medicine, and that we grow it to feel better. There’s no shame around the plant, and we never hid it from her. She’s pretty well-educated on cannabis for an eight-year-old!” This conversation, like many, has to evolve as kids age, and Daniel is keeping his eye on her impending double-digit birthdays. “She’s so used to this that it’s not a big deal and probably won’t be enticing for her. But the conversation changes as she gets older.” Daniel’s goal has always been to create an environment where cannabis is completely normal; not scary, not stigmatized, and not overblown. “She’s still too young for conversations around cannabinoids, but she understands terpenes and aroma. She loves to smell the flowers, especially strains with a unique scent profile.” Safe consumption of substances is a tricky conversation, but Daniel isn’t shying away from any of it. “I don’t drink anymore, so I will have to talk to her about alcohol and what that can do, and how cannabis can be safer.”
For many canna-families, kids shy away from cannabis simply to differentiate themselves from their parents, and Daniel suspects this may be the case as his daughter ages. “It will probably be less enticing for her as she gets older, because it’s so normalized here.”
Given his open-armed embrace of the plant and cannabis culture, I’m curious to know if Daniel has leaned on any cannabinoids for his daughter. “We haven’t used topicals or tinctures quite yet, but I’m open to minor cannabinoids as the need may arise.”
Embracing Being a Canna-Dad
After so many years with cannabis, Daniel still finds it useful to bring himself into the present. “Cannabis helps me be a kid with my kid. It frees me from mental limitations, and we get to explore the world together with a playful, free-spirited attitude.” As all working parents know, it can be hard to shift from “work mode” into “home mode”, but cannabis helps Daniel with that. “Cannabis frees me from any [mental] limitations, and I can dive in headfirst to our adventures.” That presence is important in his relationship too. “We usually smoke together. It’s our time to connect, talk, spend some time together.” When he looks back, Daniel credits the plant for helping him live his most authentic life – long hair and tie-dye included. “I felt like a hippie even before becoming one. It’s just in my DNA. Having dreads or long, shaggy hair, it’s an act of rebellion. I have just been myself all the time. Maybe cannabis allows me to do that.” These days, Daniel calls Minnesota home. And in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, cannabis access is… well, accessible. “Every liquor store has an endcap with THC beverages and gummies.” Daniel’s hippie style and his willingness to be open about cannabis put him in the middle of many conversations with people. “I’m a safe space for the other parents to talk. The fear of consuming cannabis sometimes outweighs any benefit it might bring, so I want to educate people.”The Evolution of a Canna-Dad in the Cannabis Industry
Daniel’s love for cannabis led him into the industry in the early days. He cut his teeth in the Arizona market and has held many roles. “Since I joined, it’s gone from this “oh my god what are you doing” to jobs where you can get 401ks and health insurance.” These days, Daniel keeps busy as the Post-Harvest and Production Supervisor at Verio while also juggling his role as COO of Fat Nugs, Dad, and Husband. And when the demands of life weigh heavy, cannabis is there. “When you manage a big team of people, everyone needs something from you. It’s mentally exhausting. Consuming cannabis is a mental reset that allows me to just shed that.” When I ask Daniel what advice he has for parents, he doesn’t hesitate. “It’s okay to consume cannabis. You can be a great mom or dad. It doesn’t make you a bad parent. Find a method that’s palatable for you.” Daniel’s ultimate goal is to be an educator and an advocate for the cannabis plant, inside and outside his house. He recommends tinctures, topicals, and CBD in the same breath as cannabis flower, knowing full well how the right cannabinoid pairing can change someone’s life. “Different people have different definitions of what medicine means to them. I want to find out what that is and educate them on how cannabis can fit it in a safe, responsible way.”Subscribe to Fat Nugs Magazine!
Love this article? Show your support for Fat Nugs with a magazine subscription! As a fully independent media organization, Fat Nugs relies on the grassroots support of individuals like you to continue to write and share these articles. Every subscription helps us keep bringing you the unbiased, broad-ranging cannabis, hemp, and psychedelics articles like these.
Recent Articles
Latest Articles
