<<Print>>

A group of weed-smoking mums who meet for lavish cannabis-infused lunches say taking marijuana makes them better parents. Mother-of-two Cheryl Shuman, 53, hosts the get-togethers which are part of a new craze for legal medicinal marijuana parties in California. The posh dinners � held each month in Beverly Hills � enable Ms Shuman and her friends to try new strains of the drug after meals which contain marijuana leaves and cannabis oil. They enlist the help of top Beverly Hills Chef David Schanhals to come up with lavish lunches including cannabis leaf salad, chicken fried in cannabis oil and marijuana milk shakes. And after dinner, the women � who are all prescribed marijuana for medical conditions � can sample a range of cannabis strains to see which works best for them. Ms Shuman said: �All the women in the group suffer with chronic aches and pains and taking cannabis in a group setting makes it seem more socially acceptable. �We�ve all come up against people who say marijuana is for dirty druggies, but we are proof that you can be good parents and productive members of society and use it.� January Thomas, 37, says she smokes marijuana up to five times per day while looking after her two-year-old daughter, Zeena. She said: �Marijuana makes me a better and more creative parent. It puts me in the moment with Zeena and stops me worrying about everyday problems. �I want her to understand the benefits of cannabis so I read her books like �Mommy�s Funny Medicine� and �It�s Just a Plant�, to teach her,� Thomas stated.