How We Can All Help Shed ‘Stoner’ Stereotypes

Here at HashDash, we are passionate about the normalization of cannabis consumption. Gone are the days of living in the shadows because we enjoy consuming or medicating with a plant. However, as far as we’ve come - we’ve still got a little way to go. Here in this article, we offer up some ideas on how consumers and cannabis businesses alike can continue to shed stoner stereotypes.

Stoner Stereotypes: Calling Things What They Are

One of the very first blog articles we ever published here at HashDash was about putting words to work. For starters, we should stop saying words like marijuana and strain, as these terms are inaccurate. Additionally, marijuana is a made-up word. This isn’t meant to be pretentious or to fancy ourselves smarter than anyone else - quite the contrary. We are learning every day, and we continue to do so. Read our article here for more about how words matter.

For as many potential therapeutic benefits that cannabis can offer, it’s not a miracle cure. It has the inherent properties to help treat so many conditions and ailments - perhaps more than any other substance on the planet - but it’s not a miracle cure-all. It reflects negatively on those of us who are responsible, science-minded, legal consumers to hold this mindset. One of the biggest culprits of this is in the hemp-derived CBD market, but we won’t go into that - almost everyone has heard about CBD these days.

Additionally, we aren’t doing ourselves too many favors by refusing to accept the fact that cannabis is a drug. The word drug doesn’t have to be negative - in fact, many things are drugs - including the caffeine in the coffee we drink daily. The literal definition of a drug is as follows:

“a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.”

Calling cannabis a drug doesn’t put it in the same category as pharmaceuticals or harder substances. It’s just being intellectually honest and calling things what they are.

Stoner Stereotypes: Don’t Talk About It, Be About It.

It’s great for us to start by using the correct words and calling things what they are. But even more effective is that we walk the walk in everyday life. This includes always following state and local laws (regardless if we find them ridiculous), consuming responsibly, and so on. One of the biggest things we can do is be kind to each other, especially on social media. We all make mistakes, but one mantra we try to live by is to promote what we love instead of bringing down what we don’t. If we witness a business or a consumer acting poorly, we should call them out on it. Holding ourselves accountable is one way we can help force out bad actors in all aspects of the industry. If more people were educated on where they were getting vapes, for instance, we could have possibly avoided the crisis last year.

Another thing we can do as responsible and educated cannabis consumers is push back against media and entertainment that portrays the stoner stereotype. A great study done on consumers in New York says that more than half of consumers are fed up with the stereotype. The fact is the majority of modern consumers aren’t zoned out layabouts with you-know-what for brains.

“The same recognizable trope of the harmless silly stoner that drove normalization has now become an impediment to acceptance for productive and engaged consumers of cannabis,'' said the authors of the study, Miner and Co. Studio.

A great ad campaign rolled out two years ago by MedMen featured billboards of 17 different people with the word stoner crossed out. Replacing the term stoner was their occupation. These are just two examples of how we as cannabis professionals, can help walk the walk while we continue to gain mainstream acceptance of cannabis.

Women and Cannabis - A Growing Demographic

One of the groups of people who are helping more and more to dispel the old stoner trope are women ages 21-35. We posted on our Instagram that The Cannabis Consumers Coalition (CCC) reported that women now consume cannabis more than men, with 53% having tried it compared to just 42% of men, and 6% of female respondents said they had used cannabis daily.

One of the reasons why more women are reporting that they consume is perhaps that there is more acceptance due to legalization. For many years, admitting you consumed cannabis could be detrimental to your career, and this is changing as we continue to peel back the layers of cannabis prohibition.

Of course, consumers who are women aren’t the only ones who are playing a massive role in the cannabis industry. Women are starting to make up a bigger and bigger percentage of cannabis professionals. It is essential that we help support them as we grow together.

HashDash - Building a Community of Responsible Cannabis Consumers

Did you enjoy reading our article on how we can help to shed stoner stereotypes? If so, you will definitely want to check back to our blog often, because we post content just like this every week! Have an idea of what you’d like to see us cover? Connect with us on social media: @hashdash.com on all platforms.

HashDash is compiling an entire information database that will continue to answer your questions regarding all things cannabis, as well as where to find the best dispensaries in your area. Be sure to sign up for HashDash to discover your cannabis matches if you haven’t already. As always, thanks for reading, and happy consuming!