Husband-and-wife team Chad Dean and Jenn Lauder created Splimm*, a Portland-based online magazine dedicated to parents who smoke pot. Do these lifestyle choices belong together? Devoted parents of a rambunctious 9-year-old daughter—and proud cannabis users—Dean and Lauder talk about uniting them in journalistic form.

Is there a stigma to being a pot-smoking parent?

JL: When we started being open with friends and family about our preference for cannabis, the most common response was, “But you’re parents!” People who drink wine in front of their kids every night were aghast that we might expose our daughter to the “horrors of marijuana.”

CD: In our experience, cannabis enhances our ability to parent, whereas alcohol impairs it. We’re encouraging people to question culturally accepted practices and unpack stigmas around cannabis.

Do you worry you’re too far ahead of the curve?

CD: We’re not too early, but we are pioneering that idea. Initially we thought this would be a “friends and family” affair. But we’ve been surprised by the response; we have new subscribers every day. We’re reaching people in all the legal markets, and we also have readers on the East Coast.

What’s the mission of Splimm?

JL: I hope that by putting ourselves out there, as both cannabis writers and cannabis consumers, with confidence and without shame, we can give other people permission to do the same. 

CD: We review cannabis products or board games, and cover more serious subjects like the intersection of prohibition and women’s issues. Jenn has over a decade of classroom experience, so we publish a lot of articles aimed at helping parents interact authentically and compassionately with their children.

Any tips for other parents?

JL: Children appreciate and trust authenticity, so whether you’re vacationing in a state where cannabis is newly legal or shops are just now starting to open in your neighborhood, honest dialogue is paramount. Educate yourself about the issues, and know your own child. Destigmatization starts at home.

*The pair of poets say they chose the name—a made-up word not related to pot slang “spliff”—because it sounded nice.