Speaking Out About Cannabis On a Podcast

When I began my podcast, Your Highness, almost five years ago, I wasn’t a mother. But shortly after my first season began, I found out I was pregnant, and that changed my whole perspective on cannabis coverage. Even though I considered myself “behind the scenes” as a podcast host, I was now very aware of the potential danger I could put myself in as a public-facing media member.

Through my writing and Your Highness podcast, I interviewed women who experienced custodial disruption because of their public status as cannabis users, including activist Sara Arnold, whose neighbor called Child Protective Services (CPS) to open an investigation on her the day after her child died from brain cancer.

I have heard many stories like this through my writing research. I’ve also experienced a threat to my own custodial rights. When I was pregnant, my midwife threatened CPS intervention after I tested positive for THC. If I didn’t have other mothers in the podcast space like me to relate to, I would’ve ended Your Highness a long time ago. 

More and more women—especially cannabis-friendly mothers—are creating safe spaces in a sea of uncertainty through cannabis podcasts. Stigmas still surround cannabis use, especially when it comes to the intersection of parenting and children. And the federal illegality compounds the potential adversity that can come with being in the media. But these women have pushed through the difficulties to share stories of love, family, sex, and cannabis.

Challenging Generational Patterns

Good Moms Bad Choices (GMBC) is more than a clever title for a podcast. The term encompasses the multifaceted multimedia platform created by Jamilah Mapp and Erica Dickerson in 2018. The two sex- and cannabis-positive women and mothers have created a large community, both in-person and virtually, that challenges social constructs, generational patterns, and stereotypes.

GMBC offerings include a women’s retreat in Costa Rica, an extensive Patreon-only content library, and a book club. Rated one of the best sex podcasts of 2022 by Romper, GMBC has a large selection of conversation topics, like parenting in an open marriage and teaching manifestation to children. The episodes often urge listeners to challenge preconceived notions. Mapp says they love to stir the pot and create a spark in listeners and guests.

“There’s no limit to where that leads … somewhere in the world, someone might have heard one segment and … it changed their whole dynamic of how they raise their kid or how they show up in the world,” Mapp says. “…for me, that is revolutionary.”

GMBC not only empowers adults to be sex and body positive but provides tools for empowering children. They bring on experts to explore topics with kids like teaching meditation and how to discuss body parts. GMBC has had a positive impact on Mapp’s and Dickerson’s children, because being transparent about cannabis and other topics many parents avoid is the foundation of their relationships.

“It makes us have to be more accountable for our actions and actually live what we preach,” Dickerson says. 

When Mapp and Dickerson began the podcast in 2018, they didn’t have a real fear of adversity. Having grown up in California, the hosts felt they were in an area that is accepting of parents using cannabis. 

“We’ve encountered some trolls online, but overall we’ve been embraced and have even inspired more mothers to be honest about their cannabis consumption to their family and children,” Mapp says.

Having a multimedia platform has made Mapp and Dickerson more accountable for their actions. Putting themselves out in the public puts them in a position where they must practice what they preach, they say. Ultimately, their desire to create a better world for their children shines through in all of their content. 

Dickerson says they choose their topics based on what they’re going through at the moment. Not only are their children (both have a daughter in the same age bracket) an active part of certain episodes but they include them in the planning and manifestation of future goals.

“It’s really all inspired by them, truly,” Dickerson says. “Those two people are really the reason for the podcast, period.”

When it comes to offering advice to mothers who want to start a cannabis podcast, Dickerson and Mapp suggest finding a niche and going for it. Don’t overthink it, they say. If you need a confidence boost, they have several episodes that can help. 

Crushing Stigmas and Breaking Barriers

Longtime political activist and attorney Joyce Gerber features women on The Canna Mom Show who are working to normalize cannabis and make the plant accessible. Topics range from “Creating Canna Mommy Safe Spaces” to “Changing Cannabis Perceptions Through Experiences.” Guests represent a wide variety of industry perspectives.  

As a mother of two living in Massachusetts (a state with medical and adult-use cannabis laws on the books), Gerber says she didn’t experience any adversity as a public-facing cannabis podcaster. Over the years, Gerber has continued to share with her children what she learns, but they were still a bit perplexed when she began The Canna Mom Show in 2019. She and her kids worked through the confusion by becoming more involved in the process of her show. Her son even wrote and performed the podcast theme music.

Gerber also strengthened her relationship with her children and cannabis in the early days of the pandemic when both of them (ages 20 and 23) were sent home from their respective colleges. She stocked up on flower, tincture, salves, and other cannabis products, and they wound up consuming together.

“I do believe it helped us weather the pandemic better as a family,” Gerber says.

The media matriarch believes mothers and caregivers are dismantling stigmas and normalizing plant medicine through transparent storytelling. Podcasts are a great marketing tool, Gerber points out, and the industry needs more caregiving stories.

“Our lives are organized and understood through stories, so the more cannamoms sharing their stories of health and wellness, the better our world will be,” Gerber says.

When starting a podcast, or a plant medicine regimen, Gerber advises to start low and go slow. There is a lot to know, she points out, but there is no telling where your podcast will wind up.

“I didn’t know where The Canna Mom Show would go, and now we are an award-winning podcast and my story is featured in an anthology called Courage in Cannabis,” Gerber says.

As a show of support for newcomers to the space, Gerber offers to talk with other cannamoms who want to start a podcast. In the spirit of her show, she is willing to share what she has learned. For those who are curious to learn more, they can email her at joyce@thecannamomshow.com or reach out through her website.

Making Mindfulness Accessible to Military Members

The Mindful Military podcast is founder and host Gabrielle Pickens’ “ode to Black veterans and women.” With a background in the U.S. Navy and public relations, Pickens is especially qualified to identify a gap in the market: the intersection of young, millennial Black women in the military and mindfulness. 

Pickens was a public advocate for cannabis before she became a mother and a podcast host in 2021. She says it’s only through purposeful and intentional usage that we can move toward a better, more equitable canna-friendly world.

“As a Black woman who thoroughly enjoys the plant, it’s my decision to challenge the perceptions of onlookers by being authentic in my use and support of cannabis,” Pickens says.

While not specific to cannabis, the show covers a wide range of topics that fall under the umbrella of self-care, including “The Benefits of Birthing With A Holistic Health Coach and Doula,” a “Military Girl’s Guide to Buying a Home,” and “How to Design Your Dream Marriage with Intention.” Through Mindful Military, Pickens aims to enable Black women military members, who make up almost 30% of the U.S. military, to grasp economic independence and mental healing. 

“The Black female veteran population is powerful and deserves the attention of major brands, and with that, advertising dollars to reinvest in the health and wellness of our nation’s heroes,” Pickens says. 

Making Metaphysics Accessible Through Media

Maggie Wilson started her podcast Metaphysical AF in 2018 but took a brief hiatus in 2019 when her ex tried to use her public-facing role in cannabis media against her in a custodial court case. While not squarely focused on cannabis, Metaphysical AF explores the spiritual side of plant medicine. Wilson’s ex tried to paint the picture that she was “just smoking pot on social media,” and that her work in the industry negatively affected her parenting.

“The adversity that I’ve had is more from people that I know than from people that I don’t know,” Wilson says.

Because of that experience, Wilson has learned to be cautious with whom she trusts and to impart the truth without sugarcoating anything for her kids. Being a member of the media affords her the opportunity to learn about the world in a different way, and she takes advantage of that with her two children.

“Giving them access to the knowledge of other cultures and diverse voices prepares them to be better citizens of the world,” Wilson says. 

In her episodes, and with the resources on podcast’s website., Wilson provides tips on how to incorporate “metaphysical boosters,” training to find your inner psychic, and dream interpretations. Additionally, she is the first Black woman to author a cannabis oracle tarot deck. 

For cannabis-consuming mothers who are afraid to go public but still want to share their story, Wilson suggests starting with family and friends. By sharing your story, Wilson says, you can lessen your struggle and help others in the same situation.

“A lot of times we think we’re really isolated in our pain when we’re not,” Wilson says.

When it comes to advice for potential podcasters, Wilson says to reach out to other hosts who are doing well and see if they are open to mentoring. If you are nervous, Wilson recommends recording for yourself first and then playing it only for friends and family until you feel comfortable. Ultimately, she maintains that it is important to understand your niche. 

“It’s important to know what niche you’re getting into and why you’re getting into the podcast space,” Wilson says.

Being Blunt About Motherhood and Cannabis

The path to normalizing cannabis use as a mother continues to be a tumultuous journey, but it’s made a little less bumpy with the help of people like Shonitria Anthony, the founder and host of Blunt Blowin’ Mama. As a journalist, sharing stories about so-called taboo topics came naturally to this mother of two. Before Blunt Blowin’ Mama became a podcast, it was an Instagram page created as a direct response to a news story featuring only white women as cannabis-using mothers. 

While Anthony was a little nervous creating her first post in 2017, she quickly recovered. Today, the account has more than 39,000 followers.

“My mission of normalizing moms and Black women who smoke weed was (and continues to be) far too important to be afraid or nervous,” Anthony says.

Over the years, Blunt Blowin’ Mama grew into a podcast and educational platform, tackling conversations around breastfeeding and pregnancy. Through webinars and experts being featured in episodes, Blunt Blowin’ Mama examines the false narrative that consuming cannabis equals bad mothering. Workshops and virtual events also cover the intersection of sex and cannabis.

Anthony maintains that her career doesn’t impact her parenting. A private person with very firm boundaries, she tries to keep any negativity away from her children and family.

She says her kids are aware of her podcast and brand, and they are proud of her.

“When they get older, I am sure they will appreciate that mama’s work allowed her to be home with them to spend time and make memories,” she says.