Bust the Stoner Stereotype!

Come on, stoners! Bust the stoner stereotype! 
Have you ever limited your self expression because you felt like you had to conform to a particular stereotype? I have. In order to claim my identity as a stoner or an intellectual or shaman, I used to think I had to live up to society’s expectations for those identities. For me, this meant conforming to current beliefs about elders as well as stoners and mystics.

I imagine that many people, faced with identity stereotypes of skin color, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, or even economic or educational status, tend to limit themselves and conform.

So, what's the stereotype of a stoner? It’s a bunch of young men, lying around on the couch in a cluttered room, unwashed and stinking, eating Twinkies for dinner and laughing at stupid shows on TV. Really? I’ll bet that the percentage of stoners who act like that equals the percentage of non-stoners who act like that. I’m guessing that very few of you reading this blog conform to the stereotype.

It certainly doesn’t describe me. A stoner for 50 years, I take no prescription drugs at all and I’m in good health. I have two advanced degrees in addition to my BA. I have three kids who grew up to be highly functional adults, and a long-term marriage to my best friend. I may not have a lot of money, but I’m at peace with that, in part because my needs are few and in part because cannabis gives me peace. I keep a clean house, I don’t watch TV and I gave up Twinkies for dinner at seventeen. 

I’m also 64 years old. That age thing really busts the stereotype. That I could be a grandma and retired school librarian, and use the Sacred Green every day just doesn’t make sense to some people. But, here I am, and I know there are many elders like me, quietly toking the Sacred Green as they have for decades, and keeping a low profile for fear of persecution.

Statistics can help bust the stoner stereotype. They show, for example, that stoners are, on average, more likely to be healthy and fit than non-stoners from the same socioeconomic class.

You can help bust the stoner stereotypes, too. 

Look around you the next time you’re on Instagram and notice how many types of stoners there are. Check out tags like stonerart, stonercouples, parentsforpot and plantsnotpills, following tags on the posts you like best. Choose some stoners who are not like you to follow and appreciate. Follow stoners who have a different skin color from you or that come from another country. Bust your own stereotypes about “what stoners be like” and perhaps you’ll be able to break free of the social prison and express the unique stoner you truly are.