Melissa Etheridge Smokes Weed With Her Kids: "It Brings You Closer"

Grammy-award winner gets high with her children

By Jamie Bland Apr 17, 2017 6:03 PMTags

In an effort to reduce the stigma around marijuana, Melissa Etheridge opened up about her experiences with the highly-debated drug on Yahoo!'s Weed & the American Family online platform. Most surprisingly, Melissa opened up about smoking marijuana with her two oldest children.

"It was funny at first, and then they realized it is a very natural end of the day," said the two-time Grammy winner. "It brings you closer." Melissa shared how she much rather smoke with her grown kids Bailey, 20, and Beckett, 18, than have a drink with them.  

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Her kids aren't the only loved ones in her life she enjoys smoking with, as she also likes to smoke with her wife, Linda Wallem. Melissa claimed cannabis is one of the best marital aids because it reduces inhibitions and increases sexual desire. "We take a bath every night and smoke and talk and wind down and sleep," said Melissa.

It hasn't always been this way, though. Melissa's understanding of cannabis didn't start to take shape until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. After consulting many of her friends on how to handle chemotherapy, rock legend David Crosby was the one to tell Melissa she needed to try medicinal marijuana.

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Instead of taking a variety of painkillers and steroids, Melissa decided to go a more natural route. "When I first started using cannabis, I smoked to be normal," she said. "I smoked to be out of pain. It wasn't about being high."

Melissa said smoking was very helpful because it would bring her to a state where she could get up, eat, and—most importantly—communicate with her children. One thing Melissa communicated to her four kids was what exactly marijuana is and what it is used for—in her case, medicine.

Melissa said when she held it without "shame" or "confusion," her children were able to understand it as simply as if she was pointing to a bottle of prescription drugs. Melissa argued that by taking the "naughtiness" out of the drug, it becomes something kids don't gravitate towards. "Cannabis is a resource, cannabis is an alternative," Melissa said. "It's clear this medicine, that is cannabis helps."

Melissa decided to join the cannabis industry not only to help end the fear surrounding marijuana, but also to help make it one of the first industries led by women: "It's a beautiful opportunity."

Most recently, Melissa has created the marijuana business Etheridge Farms, which is on track to debut later this year.