Keeping Neighbors Happy When You Smoke or Grow
If you are smoking or growing cannabis, you might wonder how to keep your neighbors happy and friendly about it. This might especially be a worry if you live in a densely populated area. When too many people live in one place it can sometimes lead to tense situations. Smokers and growers also have to deal with this. Because, of course, you want to have good contact with your neighbors. Good neighbors are hard to find, but you can always make them, right?
Every home grower knows the quandary. Especially if you grow cannabis outdoors. How do I keep my neighbors happy? How do I make sure they don’t call the police or file a complaint about my cannabis plants in my own garden? Depending what kind of neighbors you have, and also the law where you live, sometimes it can be a big hassle. Because there have been lawsuits over neighbors who wanted smokers next door evicted from their homes. And that solely for smoke from tobacco. So, imagine cannabis.
What Does Someone Consider a Nuisance? And How Can We Tolerate Each Other?
Neighbors can obviously complain if smoke or smell from cannabis enters their apartment. The topic is up on Quora, too. “What are my rights if my next door neighbors and their guests smoke pot all the time and it keeps seeping into my apartment?” the post asks, and it has 75 answers on it.
One of the nuisance situations described by non-users is odor from weed that goes through the doors and spills into an apartment where a junior with bad asthma lives. In fact, any kind of children’s exposure to smell or smoke from weed is a problem.
Another situation describes how the smell from smoking pot indoors spreads via the vent in a multi-story apartment building. For someone who is not tolerable to smell or smoke or doesn’t want their drying laundry to absorb smell, all of that can be a nuisance.
For the most part, nobody wants a disagreement. People who are bothered by sipping odor from cannabis may initially ask if you could be more considerate and smoke outside. And perhaps you can find a common ground after each side is heard.
But here’s what another Quora entry asks: “I live in a row and my neighbors are threatening me because I smoke. Can they do that?”
One of the answers suggests that non-smokers can send demand letters to landlords or file suit “alleging a breach of warranty of habitability” if smell from pot sips into their quarters.
An escalating situation could involve the police as well. But, as another person wrote, “depending on where you live and what the laws are, all the police can do is inform” that your weed smoking is a problem for your neighbor, and they will probably also ask you to stop doing it.
So, is there anything you can do to handle the situation? To continue smoking or growing on your property without disturbing the person who lives next door and who might be bothered by the pungent smell?
Communication with your neighbor might be the logical first thing to try. You don’t want to be in a conflict, so you might as well invite them for a coffee or drink and get to know each other a little bit. It might help if they know your reasons why you use cannabis. Of course, being a medical marijuana user could make the whole situation a lot more understanding for them. You have every right to smoke or grow cannabis for the sake of your own health. As you also have every right to use it for relaxation and recreation – there should be no discussion about it.
When you break the ice with your neighbor you may find workable ways between each other. Perhaps they are also doing something that disturbs your peace. For example, if they are being too loud or keep a dog that barks every night and sometimes breaks your sleep. You can bring that too into conversation, telling them that you are tolerant about their noise and you expect that they tolerate you as well for your habit of cannabis.
Situations vary and may require adaptation, however. Finding a spot in your home where the smoke is less likely to reach their place, or using vapes or other non-smokable forms of cannabis could work as options in some cases. In an ideal setting, you both end up sharing a spliff. How could would that be?
Lastly, it may require more management if you’re growing cannabis indoors. It’s recommended to install all the necessary equipment that ventilates the air and absorbs the smell. Having a carbon filter and changing the filter regularly can be useful. It can significantly reduce the smell from cannabis flowers and eventually also keep your neighbors happy. In addition, you can use various odor neutralizers to minimize the scent and avoid going awkward or in conflict with anyone in your near surrounding.
Also read on Soft Secrets:
- Everything You Need to Know About Weed Smell
S
Stephen Andrews
