How To Keep Your Cannabis Use On The Down Low While Visiting Family For The Holidays
Visiting family (or having them visit you) can be a wonderful experience during the holiday season
Photo: Unsplash
Visiting family (or having them visit you) can be a wonderful experience during the holiday season. At least, that’s if you all get along and they don’t pass judgement on your life. For the rest of us, however, festive family gatherings means having to compartmentalize certain aspects of our lives. If you’re a cannabis user, for example, you may have relatives around who disagree with your, ahem, lifestyle. In a perfect world, maybe we could all sit gather around and pass a joint after a holiday dinner. But for those who still have to conceal or minimize your use, there are ways to do so without totally giving up your favorite plant.
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Don’t Smoke If You Can Help It
It’s 2018, and smoking herb is just one of a plethora of ways to consume herb. I understand the love and nostalgia for a well-rolled joint, but smoking is a dead giveaway of your 420 inclinations. If you can, avoid smoking prior to or during your gatherings and opt for any of a number of other consumption methods (as listed below).
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But If You DO Smoke…
Opt for smoking out of a bowl rather than paper. Moreover, try smoking out of a bowl that isn’t covered in resin, since that smell is stronger than your herb. Have a change of clothes handy, because weed smoke lingers (more so if you’re smoking blunts). Wash your hands and brush your teeth (or chew some gum), cause they probably also reek. And while you’re free to use Visine, odds are your glassy-eyed, giggly self will be a dead giveaway. Still, your family (who likely knows about your habit if you’re a long-time smoker) will appreciate you not also skunking up the living room, so take all the usual precautions.
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Form An Alliance
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If you’ve got a spouse, a cousin, a sibling, or an uncle who happens to be 420 friendly, make sure to get together with them to form your pot plan. Maybe you were able to sneak some in and want to share with someone, or maybe you’re dry and your cousin Maria knows where to bust a mission for some. Either way, it helps to have a partner-in-cannabis.
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Offer To Go Pick Up Last-Minute Items While Folks Chat
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Now, you’ll need an excuse to get the hell out of the house and get your green on. But how do you do this without coming off rude? You know your abuela is going to notice. Check the kitchen and see if folks are running low on any items (plastic cups, napkins, wine, whatever). Then volunteer to be errand-runner so you have a legitimate excuse to go get high — just don’t forget to actually bring back whatever it was you set out to replace.
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Sprinkle It On Your Food On The Sly
Did you know you can literally enjoy weed right on your holiday dinner plate, without anyone noticing? Stillwater Brands, a company based out of Colorado, have created Ripple: a flavorless cannabis powder that can easily be sprinkled onto food or mixed into beverages to add a little kick to your meal. Choose from a THC-only packet or ones with a combination of THC and CBD to enhance your chill.
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Bring Along Some Candy
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These days, there are tons of 420 candy creations. Wana Brands is one company that makes a number of gummy and hard candies infused with THC or THC/CBD blends for a nice, incognito high. Over in California, Kiva Confections offers mints, gummies, and even a widely-praised canna-chocolate bar. And the aforementioned Stillwater also offer a new line of low-dose gummy supplements, in flavors like honey lavender and green tea mango.
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Bring A Low-Odor Vaporizer
These days, every cannabis user should have at least one vaporizer in their arsenal. I’m not talking about nicotine-laden vapes, but ones in which to vape THC-heavy flower or oil. Undoubtedly one of the top vape brands out there is Pax. Pax’s vaporizers are extremely well-crafted devices, geared toward the regular consumer. If you’ve got a daily habit, consider springing for a Pax 3, which can be used for dry herb as well as extracts, that comes in a number of colors (including a sexy rose gold). The scent released isn’t quite as recognizable as say a joint, and dissipates much faster than smoke (making it good for when you need to go “check the mail”). Or go for the more affordable Pax Era, an oil pen compatible with Pax Era Pods that delivers a clean, low-odor vaping experience.
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Or Go Full On Topical
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Yes, that’s right. You can now even enjoy marijuana transdermally. Try Mary’s Medicinal’s transdermal compound, a THC/CBD blend that is especially helpful if you use cannabis to treat aches and pains. It also gives you a nice, relaxing buzz, making those potentially sexist or racist remarks at the dinner table from your Tio Ignacio just a wee bit more tolerable.
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If All Else Fails, Try Coming Clean
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Look, it’s 2018. Recreational cannabis is now legal in ten states, with even more states enjoying medicinal cannabis. Responsible use is possible. Maybe take this time to discuss the benefits of marijuana, and all the reasons so many folks use it. If they seem receptive, disclose your status as a consumer. And if they have any trouble with that, you can always draw attention away by reminding them that there are worse things you could be doing (like incarcerating immigrant children). Perspective!
