"Marijuana Moms" : the collective work of negotiating individual and group identity in the age of cannabis legalization

Abstract

This research is the result of a qualitative study that explored the ways in which marijuana using mothers come to identify as such and how they structure their relationships and parenting as a result. The experiences of 57 self-identified marijuana using mothers (aged 20-48 years-old) from across the United States participated in semi-structured interviews and shared their everyday experiences with both marijuana use and motherhood. Participants were all mothers with children between 3 months and 19 years at the time of the interviews. A thematic narrative analysis uncovered common experiences among these women in constructing both individual and group identity: Participants varied in how each of these themes identified were reflected in their lives, depending upon each participant's interpretation of her local social context. Both motherhood and self-identifying as a marijuana user were valuable and meaningful parts of their identity.