Serra Frank: A Mom Standing with Other Moms for Marijuana

Marijuana has now become somewhat of a motherhood issue. It certainly is for Serra Frank, an Idaho woman with two kids who founded Moms for Marijuana. Cannabis, according to her, is a useful drug and product that doesn't deserve to live in the shadows. Her five year-old group is dedicated to educating people about those facts-and she's got thousands of followers-including an international chapter.

As California considers Proposition 19 that will control and tax cannabis this election, the issue is really heating up --for moms and everybody.

How did you get involved in this issue?

I had been in bed for a year or more with a debilitating illness and when I found cannabis, I was able to take care of my house and my children. Marijuana helps with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, arthritis, PMS--indeed Queen Elizabeth was prescribed marijuana for cramping when she was young.

A lot of women have debilitating illnesses; many are in relationships when they get sick, and the man doesn't understand--he wants the woman to be the caretaker. So you have all these sick women in their bed and marijuana will help them get out of their beds.

But sometimes husbands leave. Women are sometimes shunned by husbands or families for using cannabis to help them in their illnesses

We should be able to go to a pharmacy and use it like any other medication and not have our husbands upset that we're using an illegal drug.

As women, we're watching our families suffer in pain and this drug could help them. We have to watch our husbands go thru chemo: a lot of moms have kids with PTSD and marijuana could help. But only some states let sufferers have medical marijuana.

Why did you start Moms for Marijuana?

I use marijuana medically and then found out it is safer as a recreational drug. When I first started in my small town, I had a hard time finding information-outside the stoner groups. But it's all out there, so I wanted to organize it and provide it to my local community.

It started as a Myspace page to help people, then we started forming chapters in the community and it became a huge network of women. We're Moms who use it for our own medical, spiritual or recreational needs.

Are more women smoking?

No, women are supporting legalization more; they're not being as scared to stand out. We've got all these different movements--like the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR). The more women who stand up, the more groups that do, the better.

We've been hiding--since the authorities can arrest you and take your child away. But women are realizing this is important to us and to future generations.

I also think the TV show "Weeds" helped push a lot of women to admit that they try it.

How else does cannabis use affect women?

We're tired of witnessing the affects of alcohol-related violence when there's a safer alternative. Marijuana is NOT a contributing factor to drug-related sexual violence or domestic violence: the organizations that study drug use and domestic violence and sexual assault do not cite marijuana as a contributing drug.

What about marijuana use among kids?

Nowadays, it's more accessible for kids to get marijuana than cigs. As NORML women's alliance says: drug dealers don't check i.d.

When I first started, I was 21 and it was my medicine. I knew a 16 yr old who could get me better stuff and better prices than my 30 year-old dealer. He could source shrooms and acid but had to get adults to buy him cigarettes. We can regulate more effectively to keep it out of our kids' hands.

We don't think drugs should be a criminal issue. A lot of mothers don't want to see our kids go to jail because they experiment with marijuana, we don't want to see them put on probation. If you've been convicted on a drug offense, you can't apply for student financial aid. I'd lose my funding.

It's more a health issue: kids can't become physically addicted, but can become psychologically addicted. Sitting around all day and playing video games is not okay.

What's next?

Our goal is education and promoting that this plant that is renewable. You can make fuel, biodegradable plastic and even concrete out of hemp. Plus hemp seed is one of the most nutritious things we have.

We're turning into a charitable organization and organizing our chapters.

I never thought it would get this big. The thing that makes me happiest, I have my fears about going to jail and losing my financial aid, but it's all worth it, when I have people say to me, "you have given me purpose, you've given me reason to get out of bed, to fight my illness". They tell me thank you for bringing us together as moms.

Serra Frank is the Founding Director of Moms for Marijuana

http://www.momsformarijuana.com