Securing Your Stash from Your Kids
Recreational cannabis if becoming legal in many states across the country. As parents can freely partake and no longer have to hide their habit, kids are exposed to cannabis culture at home at an earlier age. They see it as a social activity and kids usually want to emulate their parents and those around them. Therefore, it is so important to limit their access to cannabis the same way you do for alcohol, tobacco, firearms or prescription medications.
Here are a few suggestions about stashing your stash based on the age of your kids:
Baby/Toddler
OUT OF REACH – Put away your pot up when you’re finished using it. It’s not just about securing your stash, make sure you get all the paraphernalia, residue and remains too. Babies and toddlers put their mouths on everything. If you drop a dab on the coffee table and don’t clean it up with some sort of solvent, it’s likely your kid will lick it as they’re cruising around on the furniture.
OUT OF SIGHT – Like anything you don’t want a young child to touch stick it somewhere they can’t see it. Simply setting your stash on a higher shelf or in a drawer they can’t reach will keep your kid out of your cannabis. Just be aware what new heights they can reach as they start to grow and begin to start climbing up things.
Elementary
LOCKED CONTAINER – Like other medications, keeping your cannabis in a childproof container is highly recommended especially as your kids are becoming more independent and gaining freedoms around the house. If you don’t want to spend a bunch of money on something cool or cute, you can upcycle and old ibuprofen bottle.
EDUCATION – Kids’ curiosity can be a powerful force and the best way to combat that is with age appropriate information. Talk to your children about cannabis safety the same way you would about prescription medications, tobacco or alcohol. Many kids think they understand these things just by watching the grown ups around them but if you open the conversation you will know your kid isn’t going on assumptions when they encounter cannabis.
Middle School
LOCKED CABINET – Childproof containers are great but by middle school kids have typically figured out the trick to getting them open so up your stash spot to a lock box or a safe. There is a wide variety to choose from that range from small to large and blatantly obvious to subtly hidden in plain sight.
LOCKED SPACE – In the case you’ve raised a safe cracker just go ahead and lock the room where you stash your stuff. Maybe even choose a location outside of the house like the garage or a shed. Some people suggest keeping it in the car, but you should be aware of your state laws about transporting cannabis before you drive off with it.
High School
VIDEO SURVEILLANCE – By high school your kid can most likely figure out how to access any space that you can. If you’re concerned your teen is going to pinch your pot, then the best way is to keep a round-the-clock eye on your stuff. You can certainly opt for an elaborate security camera system or you can use the old baby monitor or nanny cam from when they were little.
DRUG TESTING – If you suspect your teen is dipping into your stash and don’t believe them when they tell you they are not then surprise them with a drug test. There are even ones available at the dollar store. Hopefully by this age though you can have a conversation with them about the reasons why they want to use marijuana as well as the reasons why you don’t want them to use it.
Even if you’re not raising a lock pick or a young magician, you know that where there’s a will there’s a way and our kids outsmart us at many turns. The best way to secure your stash is with consistency and redundancy. Lock it up like nesting dolls and do it every time to reduce the opportunity.
