First, I agree with you. Pot should be legal and, you're right, it is demonstrably safer than alcohol (check out the book, Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? by Steve Fox, Paul Armentano, and Mason Tvert, with a Foreword by yours truly).

While cannabis may be used in a variety of ways, smoking seems to be the most common method. Given the social, cultural, and regulatory transformation of attitudes (and behavior) toward tobacco smoking, it's not surprising that a parent who drinks a beer in front of his or her kid would hesitate to smoke a joint in front of the child. While fear-mongering opponents of the legalization of marijuana like to argue that smoking weed poses the same dangers as tobacco consumption, they're wrong. (See http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/)

Still, I think your reticence to light up in front of a young child is laudable, a personal choice that should be encouraged.

Thanks for the question.

Unlike wine or beer, pot consumption usually involves
smoke. So with tobacco and cannabis, I recommend not
smoking in the same room as children. You may smoke
outside if there were a breeze, to avoid second-hand
smoke.

Children should not consume any drug, whether
alcohol, tobacco, or pot.

I, too, agree with you that marijuana should be legal for adults and that it is provably safer than alcohol. I don't have children myself and wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to why you or any parent might be more comfortable consuming alcohol in front of their child instead of smoking marijuana (or, as Chief Stamper notes, tobacco).

As far as I-1068 is concerned, it removes all criminal penalties for the adult use, possession and cultivation of marijuana for persons aged 18 and older in Washington State. I-1068 retains all the current prohibitions against marijuana use, possession and cultivation by person younger than 18 in Washington State and it does not make it legal for an adult to provide anyone under the age of 18 with marijuana.

Regarding parents, kids, and all kinds of drugs, Marsha Rosenbaum, director of the Safety First Project (which "provides resources for parents, educators and students who are interested in reality-based approaches to drug education that stress the health, safety and well-being of young people") and director of the San Francisco office of Drug Policy Alliance, wrote "A Mother's Advice: The `Dear Johnny' Letter", published by the San Francisco Chronicle on September 7, 1998:

Dear Johnny,

This fall you will be entering high school, and like most American teenagers, you’ll have to navigate drugs. As most parents, I would prefer that you not use drugs. However, I realize that despite my wishes, you might experiment.

I will not use scare tactics to deter you. Instead, having spent the past 25 years researching drug use, abuse and policy, I will tell you a little about what I have learned, hoping this will lead you to make wise choices. My only concern is your health and safety.

When people talk about “drugs,” they are generally referring to illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine (speed), psychedelic drugs (LSD, Ecstasy, “Shrooms”) and heroin. These are not the only drugs that make you high. Alcohol, cigarettes and many other substances (like glue) cause intoxication of some sort. The fact that one drug or another is illegal does not mean one is better or worse for you. All of them temporarily change the way you perceive things and the way you think.

Some people will tell you that drugs feel good, and that’s why they use them. But drugs are not always fun. Cocaine and methamphetamine speed up your heart; LSD can make you feel disoriented; alcohol intoxication impairs driving; cigarette smoking leads to addiction and sometimes lung cancer; and people sometimes die suddenly from taking heroin. Marijuana does not often lead to physical dependence or overdose, but it does alter the way people think, behave and react.

I have tried to give you a short description of the drugs you might encounter. I choose not to try to scare you by distorting information because I want you to have confidence in what I tell you. Although I won’t lie to you about their effects, there are many reasons for a person your age to not use drugs or alcohol. First, being high on marijuana or any other drug often interferes with normal life. It is difficult to retain information while high, so using it, especially daily, affects your ability to learn.

Second, if you think you might try marijuana, please wait until you are older. Adults with drug problems often started using at a very early age.

Finally, your father and I don’t want you to get into trouble. Drug and alcohol use is illegal for you, and the consequences of being caught are huge. Here in the United States, the number of arrests for possession of marijuana has more than doubled in the past six years. Adults are serious about “zero tolerance.” If caught, you could be arrested, expelled from school, barred from playing sports, lose your driver’s license, denied a college loan, and/or rejected from college.

Despite my advice to abstain, you may one day choose to experiment. I will say again that this is not a good idea, but if you do, I urge you to learn as much as you can, and use common sense. There are many excellent books and references, including the Internet, that give you credible information about drugs. You can, of course, always talk to me. If I don’t know the answers to your questions, I will try to help you find them.

If you are offered drugs, be cautious. Watch how people behave, but understand that everyone responds differently, even to the same substance. If you do decide to experiment, be sure you are surrounded by people you can count upon. Plan your transportation and under no circumstances drive or get into a car with anyone else who has been using alcohol or other drugs. Call us or any of our close friends any time, day or night, and we will pick you up, no questions asked and no consequences.

And please, Johnny, use moderation. It is impossible to know what is contained in illegal drugs because they are not regulated. The majority of fatal overdoses occur because young people do not know the strength of the drugs they consume, or how they combine with other drugs. Please do not participate in drinking contests, which have killed too many young people. Whereas marijuana by itself is not fatal, too much can cause you to become disoriented and sometimes paranoid. And of course, smoking can hurt your lungs, later in life and now.

Johnny, as your father and I have always told you about a range of activities (including sex), think about the consequences of your actions before you act. Drugs are no different. Be skeptical and most of all, be safe.

Love,
Mom

See also: "Parenting Through the Haze; There may be a healthy dose of adult weed smokers, but how many of them talk straight about it with their kids?", by Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronical, April 22, 2007.