I’d like to get on a different level with y’all if I may, a little philosophical if you will. I would like to talk about what it means to be a stoner. We’ve probably all been called one more than once (or 100) times in our lives. Many of us have also referred to ourselves as stoners. What does that word even mean anymore? Is our concept of what makes a person a stoner even the same as it was 10 or 20 years ago? Does one only need to smoke from a bong? Or is there more to it than that?

What Does it Mean to be a Stoner?

When you think of the archetypal stoner, what, or rather who do you think of? Do you think of the stereotypical hippie lookin dude with dirty white boy dreadlocks, Birkenstocks and a tie dye Grateful Dead t-shirt? Do you think of a guy on a skateboard who talks with a slow California surfer drawl? Do you even picture a man?

Over the years the demographic of the typical cannabis user has changed quite a bit. Thanks legalization, more “regular people” are trying and regularly using cannabis than in previous decades. The average stoner now wears a suit and tie or blouse and goes into the office each day. The average stoner is a mom who loads her bubbler after work in lieu of a glass of wine.

What does it mean to be a stoner then? Is it someone who just merely enjoys smoking weed, or is there more to it? Hardcore cannabis enthusiasts like to claim that smoking weed is more than just a lifestyle: it’s a way of life, whatever that means. I’m not one of those people. I love smoking weed, and I love smoking a lot of it, but the fact that I do it, does not define who I am as a person. It may define some of you, but certainly there are those of you out there who really just think of cannabis as a plant that you smoke for enjoyment, or use medicinally to accomplish what cannot be done by regular medicine alone.

Are We All Stoners?

Are we all stoners then by virtue of our proximity to pot? I suppose that you could say that, though I doubt the mom who heard about cannabis while at brunch with her gal pals would like to be referred to as such. With so many people from different backgrounds now trying (and loving) cannabis, is it really fair to say that the archetype of the stoner still exists? Hard to say, really. Of course the guy that I described above is still around; he happens to be one of my neighbors. You cannot say that he is the stereotypical cannabis user anymore, especially not when more women than ever before are trying cannabis. Are none of us stoners anymore? I don’t remember the last time I referred to myself as one. I feel like self identifying as a stoner is something that you probably should have grown out of when you reach your mid twenties at the very least.

Okay, that’s enough philosophy for today. Let’s spark one!

Image Source: nextavenue.org

Got anything to add? What is a stoner to you? Tell us in the comments!