Cannabis, ADHD, and Conscious Motherhood

Hayley Lewis
Jul 1
3 min read

ADHD has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Like many, I was prescribed Adderall. It helped me focus in some ways, but over time, the side effects became hard to ignore. I didn’t like how it made me feel in my body - wired, anxious, and disconnected. When I started focusing on living cleaner and becoming more intentional with what I put in my body, I chose to stop taking it.

Then I got pregnant. And everything shifted.

Naturally, I stopped using everything... Adderall, weed, even caffeine in the beginning. I wanted a clean slate for my body, for my baby, and for the journey ahead.

After birth, I continued to stay off of all medications while I was nursing. It was a conscious choice, and it felt right at the time. But navigating the daily rollercoaster of motherhood, now layered with my neurodivergence, I realized I needed support.

And that’s when I returned to something that had always felt like home.

Coming Back to Cannabis

Before motherhood, marijuana had always been part of my life. It helped me feel grounded, creative, calm, and more myself. I knew it worked for me. So when I came back to it post-nursing, it wasn’t about “getting high.” It was about getting in tune.

I began approaching weed with intention, with respect, and with a new understanding of how it could support both my ADHD and my role as a mother.

Cannabis and the Reality of ADHD Motherhood

Motherhood is overstimulating, PERIOD. When you layer that with ADHD, it’s like every sense is on high alert, all the time. The noise, the mess, the unpredictability… it's a lot on the nervous system.

There have been moments where my baby was screaming and I felt myself tightening, freezing, shutting down, about to lose it... And then, with a few hits, everything softened.

I could stay calm.

I could actually hear her, not just react to the sound.

I could hold her with steadiness because I had access to my nervous system again.

The littlest things didn’t bother me. The toys on the floor, the dishes in the sink, they just… existed. I wasn’t spiraling. I wasn’t overwhelmed. I was present.

And beyond the regulation, it also brought more joy. I’d find myself smiling more. Dancing in the living room. Cooing back at my baby and feeling genuine connection instead of exhaustion.

It helped me be the kind of mother I wanted to be.

Ritual, Not Routine

This plant medicine became part of my self-care. Some days it looked like a small edible that helped me stay patient. Other days it was a solo smoke session after bedtime, giving me space to reconnect with myself.

It became a ritual - a moment of return. Something just for me, so I could come back to motherhood with more presence and ease.

Let’s Be Honest About the Stigma

There’s still a lot of judgment about people who use marijuana, especially those of us doing it openly. The narrative is tired: that we’re irresponsible, lazy, disengaged. But the truth is, I’m more engaged. More attuned. More present.

I’m not saying Mary Jane is a miracle or the right answer for everyone. But I am saying we need to talk more honestly about the ways we care for ourselves - especially when we’re doing the sacred, exhausting, nonstop work of raising little humans while managing brains that don’t fit the mold.

This is about choice. About permission, and about finding what actually helps us thrive, not just survive.

This is What Works for Me

Cannabis, when used with care, doesn’t pull me away from my life - it helps me drop deeper into it.

It’s not about being high.

It’s about being more regulated.

More compassionate.