The Smiths take all kinds of trips together, and not just the fun family vacation variety.
On Friday, Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, opened up about his use of psychedelic drugs and how he was initially introduced to them. Sharing his experience at Denver’s Psychedelic Science Conference, the 24-year-old recalled, “I think it was my mom, actually, that was really the first one to make that step for the family,” per USA Today.
Jaden added, “It was just her for a really, really long time and then eventually it just trickled and evolved and everybody found it in their own ways,” referring to his famous father and siblings, sister Willow, 22, and brother Trey, 30.
Speaking specifically about how psychedelics have improved his relationship with his brother and sister, the “Syre” singer explained, “Siblings can argue so much and fight so much, and lord knows me and my siblings have done so much of that in the past. But the level of love and empathy that I can feel for them inside of the [psychedelic] experiences and outside of the experiences has been something that’s profound and beautiful,” he said.
The “ICON” rapper continued, “[Taking psychedelics together] will actually help us to open up our minds to get out of the old ways of thinking that got us into lots of these arguments and open it up so that it just releases and makes room for you to work it out and massage it out until it’s completely gone.” While psychedelics aren’t for everyone, Jaden and the Smiths seem to find their use quite therapeutic.
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How It All Began
The Matrix actress revealed why she started using psychedelic drugs in a November 2021 episode of her Facebook series, Red Table Talk. Explaining that it helped with her mental health, Jada said, “I struggled with depression for so long — I mean crippling depression. And the thing about the plant medicine is it helps you feel better but also solves the problems of how you got there in the first place.”
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Practicing Unconventional Parenting Methods
Will and Jada are known for their unconventional parenting style, and their familial use of psychedelics definitely falls into the unconventional category. The choice stems from the couple’s desire to give their kids autonomy over their own lives, and though they’re now adults, that’s been the family motto since the Smith kids were children.
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Dax Shepard’s Take on Psychedelics & His Kids
Though his daughters are still very young, Dax Shepard has also expressed a desire for them to eventually experiment with psychedelics. During a 2019 episode of his podcast, Armchair Expert, the former actor said, “I am pro my children doing mushrooms at some point.”
Shepard explained, “There are a lot of different studies that have pretty conclusively shown that you have long-lasting creative advantages … People who have done mushrooms have markedly more creativity that lasts. So, I guess, yeah, I’m going to tell my girls to do ‘shrooms and to smoke pot and to drink and just don’t do cocaine or opioids.”
As an addict in recovery, he continued, “If you don’t do those two things, you’ll likely be able to do all the other ones for the rest of your life. But if you get involved with those two it’s probably going to end the party.”
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A Wide Array of Parenting Dynamics
The conversation between parents and their children about psychedelics certainly isn’t a common one, but many parents do choose to take a candid route about traditionally taboo topics like drugs, alcohol, and sex. The Smiths are clearly paving the way in that lane, and have been for a long time, but as divisive a topic as drug use is, there will undoubtedly be many varying opinions on Jaden’s new admission.
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