Lake Bell jokes that she’s ‘straight up a better parent’ on weed

During a panel centered on normalizing cannabis use, actress and mom Lake Bell said she “can’t get through the holidays” without marijuana—a sentiment many moms have been opening up about on social media in recent years.

During the panel sponsored by Cann x Jane in Hollywood, Bell said she feels like a better mom when she’s under the influence of cannabis.

“I am straight up a better parent when I’m just two Canns in. I’m like on their level,” Bell explained. “I’m just like, ‘That is a f—ing crazy dinosaur!’ Like, ‘Let’s get on the ground right now and be f—ing crazy dinosaurs, let’s open some presents. F— it.’ I become literally a kid.”

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Bell shares daughter Nova, 8, and 5½-year-old son Ozgood with ex-husband Scott Campbell, whom she was divorced in 2020.

The panel, moderated by “The Washington Post’s” Taylor Lorenz, also featured Cann board member and actress Rosario Dawson, Cannaclusive co-founder Mary Pryor, I Heart Jane CEO Socrates Rosenfeld, and Cann co-founder Luke Anderson. The panel opened up about their personal relationships with cannabis and focused on the need to improve racial disparities in the cannabis industry.

Bell wrote and directed a short film, titled “Cann-Do Holiday,” about a holiday gathering with family that is dramatically improved thanks to Cann’s THC and CBD-infused tonic.

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Social media is full of moms sharing that they, too, parent while using cannabis products.

Others share that they wait for their kids to be in bed before partaking.

Either way, cannabis use has become far more normalized through the years. And with so many varieties and products to choose between—from the plant itself to cannabis-infused mints, oil, and gummies—many people have access to whatever type of cannabis works best for them.

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A 2013 qualitative study on medical marijuana use and parenting found that a majority of participants who identified being parents reported that using marijuana helped them to be calmer with their children and to manage difficult emotions related to parenting. A recent Gallup poll found that more Americans are now smoking marijuana than cigarettes.

Legality and personal ethics aside, having marijuana around the house isn’t something to take lightly. Particularly because edibles are currently packaged in a way that’s appealing and accessible to kids—there are currently no federal regulations around that. Laws governing cannabis possession and use are different from state to state, but parents can be charged with child neglect or endangerment if substance use puts children at risk of harm—even if they’re using it medically.