Melissa Etheridge recently got candid about Smoking Weed, and more specifically shared that she does it with her kids. She spoke about her thoughts on the matter on Yahoo!'s online platform dedicated to the topic called Weed & the American Family.
Melissa’s smokes with two of her children aged 18 and 22 and said that she would rather smoke Marijuana with them than have an alcoholic drink. Many people with similar arguments cite how dangerous alcohol is by comparison. She went on to praise weed’s positive effects on her marriage to wife Linda Wallem, explaining how they take a bath, smoke, and chat as they wind down at the end of the day.
She didn't smoke until later in life
Melissa’s introduction to marijuana came under different circumstances, however. The singer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and was encouraged to fill a medical marijuana prescription to deal with the side effects of her chemotherapy. She did, and she liked what happened next.
Finding it possible to manage her pain with the marijuana alone allowed her to skip the harsh prescription painkillers while feeling good enough to be up and out of bed. Since the medical marijuana allowed her to spend more quality time with her children, she was quite open with them about the smoking practice. They came to understand the medicinal qualities of weed and Melissa believes it was a powerful way to get rid of the "naughtiness" that’s commonly associated with it, and instead, keep the topic open as opposed to something to hide and do out of rebellion.
She hopes to become a progressive voice in the industry
Melissa is now heading into the cannabis industry as well. This year she will be launching Etheridge Farms, a company dedicated to creating medical marijuana products. Those products will include things like edibles, balms, and oil cartridges, with dispensary locations in Oakland, San Jose, and Santa Cruz.
Melissa has explained that she thinks most people who use marijuana in any way are using it medicinally whether they realize it or not. She's also an advocate for opening up the conversation about marijuana in the NFL since players are forbidden from using it and instead have to seek out addictive prescription pills to manage their pain. She hopes that launching her company will shed more light on alternative treatment options.
