Pride or Problem? Why Is It Still Difficult to Talk About Cannabis?
By Delight Greenidge, Chief Operating Officer, Luxe and Little
Originally published November 1, 2021
People have been talking about cannabis for generations. Some see it as a personal choice. Others have strong feelings about its use. Even as laws have changed, those differences in opinion have not disappeared.
When we first wrote about this in 2021, one question stood out: Why do some adults feel comfortable discussing cannabis while others would rather keep the subject private?
The law has changed. Have attitudes changed with it?
Cannabis was prohibited in Canada for decades before recreational use was legalized in 2018. The United States and other countries have followed different legal paths. Those differences have shaped how people talk about cannabis and how comfortable they feel acknowledging it.
For some people, legalization changed the conversation. For others, the old stereotypes and assumptions remained. A change in law does not necessarily change how friends, relatives or colleagues react.
What an informal survey suggested
Renew Management conducted a small, non-scientific survey involving adults aged 30 to 54 from ten countries. The original responses suggested that some participants had tried cannabis or used it but did not discuss that openly with colleagues or extended family.
Among the participants who kept their use private, concerns about being judged and labelled were common. Participants described worrying that it could affect how others viewed their professional reputation.
This was an informal exercise, not a representative study. It cannot tell us how most people feel. What it does illustrate is a familiar human concern: people often think carefully about which parts of their personal lives they share.
A more thoughtful conversation
People can have different views about cannabis without making assumptions about one another. We can talk about public policy, personal boundaries and the effects of smoke without turning a disagreement into a judgement about someone's character.
For Luxe and Little, one part of the broader conversation is simply how everyday odours affect a shared living space. Our odour-neutralizing candle collection was developed around familiar household smell concerns.
It's important to remember that a candle or fragrance product is not an air purifier. It cannot make smoke exposure safe or replace appropriate ventilation and cleaning.
Looking back at this 2021 discussion, the question is still worth asking: Are we making room for respectful conversations even when our views differ?
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