Many of you know about the TV show that comes on the Vice Channel titled ‘Weed Etiquette’. Actually if you’ve EVER watched the Vice Channel, it’s full of all sorts of shows that revolve around cannabis in some way or another. But the ‘Weed Etiquette’ I’m writing about came from Lizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Mrs. Manner’s herself, Emily Post. (In case you aren’t sure who Emily Post is, here’s a refresher: she wrote a best selling novel in 1922 called ‘Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home.) According to Lizzie Post, whose family is most famous in American Etiquette, when changes occur in a culture (legalization of cannabis) new manners emerge, and others become traditions of the past or obsolete. When asked if she would write a book about the social mores of marijuana, she was all in. Her book entitled “Higher Etiquette” covers all the basics from cannabis consumption to giving it as a gift.
Lizzie Post is author and co-author of several previous books about manners, and the co president of the Emily Post Institute in Vermont. A question this book poses on nearly every page is how can something that makes your cheeks so sore from smiling, that so reduces your zone of woe, be worth scorning??
Here are a few of the Don’t’s listed:
- Don’t slobber on the pipe.
- Don’t take too many hits at once.
- Don’t keep repeating every few seconds “I’m so high right now.”
- Don’t eat all the munchies
- Don’t assume we want to hear about your theory of existence.
“Higher Etiquette” argues that it’s time for cannabis to move away from the surfer or the Cheech & Chong image; avoid the stigmatizing term “pothead” and mostly avoid the term marijuana too. Marijuana has a slew of undeserved negative connotations plus it’s not “scientific.”
Lizzie Post also says to use basic principles; respect, generosity, and gratitude. If planning to consume in the presence of others, it’s always polite to ask when the appropriate time would be and it’s always a good idea to bring extras. When it comes to telling others about your cannabis use, it’s always a good idea to be open and honest. If you are spending time around people you don’t know well, it’s probably best to wait before indulging. She also speaks of giving cannabis as a gift. This is only appropriate if the host is a consumer. If you don’t know and aren’t close enough to ask, then cannabis is not the right gift.
And the number one etiquette rule? Never out anyone. You can encourage people to talk about about weed, but not everyone is out of the cannabis closet. You want to make sure you respect everyone’s privacy and they have their reasons for not sharing. For a lot of people, there is that divide with their parents who grew up with reefer madness mentality and a hundred years prohibition. Don’t assume everyone is comfortable but if you’re comfortable, make it known and someone might seek you out.
