How to Deal With Neighbors Smoking Weed

Gone are the days where the use of marijuana is criminalized. In a growing number of states, the use of this psychoactive drug is fully legal now. If you reside in one of those states and have a neighbor who enjoys (possibly too much) their newfound freedom to use marijuana legally, you’re probably wondering how to deal with neighbors smoking weed?

Whether the state you live in legalizes marijuana or not, you should first talk to your neighbor if their regular weed use is bothering you. Your neighbor might not realize that the smoke is finding its way into your home. Talking to your neighbor politely might just easily fix the problem.

Meanwhile, if confronting your neighbor is not your specialty, there are other ways to make them stop smoking weed. This article will give you tips on how to deal with your marijuana-using neighbor and know when you should or should not report what they’re doing.

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Can Neighbors Complain About Weed Smell?

Living in multi-dwelling units has its caveats – one of which is that you may have to deal with nuisances.

You may have a neighbor who puts on loud music all the time; or someone who constantly invites rowdy friends over.  You may be allergic to animal fur as well, and you have a neighbor who has a pet.

If you’re not lucky enough to live in the perfect apartment, then you have neighbors that may annoy you. In the case of neighbors smoking weed in their apartment, can you do something about it?

Can you complain or sue your neighbor for the cannabis smoke that permeated through your door and walls?

If you are living in one of the states where marijuana is legal, there is not much you can do as far as filing a complaint, unless the lease states that the building is smoke-free.

Can You Smell Weed Through Walls?

The smell of marijuana from your neighbor may start to bother you because you notice the odor starting to reach your own space.

The bad news is that yes, you can smell weed through the walls, especially if you’re living near a person who regularly uses marijuana.

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My House Smells of Neighbors Weed

While exposure to secondhand smoke from marijuana while you’re just passing will not bring any negative health effects to you, it’s easy to find the smell unpleasant.

In any case, it’s understandable if you want to do everything you can just to stop smelling marijuana.

How to Get Rid of Weed Smell From Neighbors

In the best case scenario, let’s say that you’ve taken care of the neighbor problem. Maybe you have agreed on a solution that will benefit both of you. However, you still need to take care of the smell that may linger inside your home.

The good news is that there are things that can be done to eliminate that unpleasant smell.

Block the Smell

You may not have totally stopped your neighbor from smoking weed privately. Maybe time and again, you might smell it. The best thing to do is to block the smell from entering your home in the first place.

If the smoke is entering from a particular window in your house, shut that window, and open others instead. In the case of apartments, smells may waft through gaps on the doors. To remedy this, put a draft stopper. You may also talk to your neighbor to get one as well.

Use Scented Products

Combat the unpleasant smell with something that your olfactory nerves will appreciate. We’re talking about incense, air fresheners, and scented candles. In no time, you’ll be saying goodbye to marijuana smell.

Pluggable Fragrance Warmers are made with aromatic ingredients that give off a pleasant scent as you melt them. Your space will smell amazing and it’s a much better scent than marijuana.

Scented candles may also do the trick but don’t just get a regular scented candle. Instead, get one that is specially formulated to tackle the smell from marijuana smoke.

One product worth checking is Cannabolish Smoke Odor Removing Set, which is marketed as a non-toxic marijuana smoke eliminator made from natural ingredients, like beeswax and plant oils.

Air freshener sprays are also great to use to eliminate the marijuana odor. Two products that are used by many marijuana smokers are Ozium Smoke & Odors Eliminator and Cannabolish Odor Eliminating Spray. 

You can use scented products in your own home, or might give it as a gift to your weed-smoking neighbor.

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Clean Your Walls

You may need to do some cleaning of your home, especially if the smell has stuck to your walls – marijuana smoke does that.

Vacuum the corners, making sure to get rid of dust and cobwebs. Next is to wash the walls with a warm, soapy solution. Adding vinegar to your cleaning solution works as well.

Can You Report Someone for Using Weed?

Whether or not you can report someone for using weed will depend on where you live. Of course, if you live in a state where it’s legal, you can’t call the police on them. On the other hand, if marijuana use is illegal in your area, you may have a shot at calling the police.

Should You Report Marijuana Use?

The real question however, is should you do it? If your neighbor was simply minding his own business smoking pot in private but is not doing any harm to you, should you snitch on them? Your neighbor could be using it as an off-label treatment for some ailment.

It’s also worth noting that many police departments will neither respond to reports of someone smoking marijuana privately nor will entertain reports made because of a suspicion. 

The police will simply dismiss this as a nuisance report and will hope that you resolve it on your own through proper communication. It would be a different story if you know that your neighbor is growing or dealing marijuana in large quantities. This might just get the police’s attention.

Meanwhile, if reporting the use of marijuana is necessary, probably because the smell is obnoxious and affects you severely, or you have children in your home, then you could try to report that person to the police.

Check with your city ordinances in this case, especially if marijuana is legal in the state you live in.

How to Report Someone for Smoking Weed

Know that this is a non-emergency case, so do not call 911 for this. A cop may give your neighbor a citation for nuisance or ask him to smoke somewhere else so that the smoke doesn’t travel to your property.

A better option would be to take this up to your landlord. If smoking is strictly prohibited in your building, your landlord might give a warning to the said neighbor, and if the act continues, he may request the neighbor to pack up.

How to Deal With Neighbors Smoking Weed

“My neighbor smokes weed and it comes into my house. I can smell weed from next door within my own home!”

– Fed up and Irritated Neighbor

If this sounds like what you’re dealing with, just know that calling the cops on your neighbor for smoking weed should be reserved as the last resort. There are other peaceful means to deal with your neighbor that will help you maintain a good relationship with them.

Talk To Your Neighbor

If you have a neighbor who constantly smokes weed, the first thing you need to do is to walk up to your neighbor and talk to them. Talking is always the first step to handle neighbor disputes.

You might be surprised at how the problem can be fixed quickly by communicating. It might also help you keep a good relationship with your neighbor. 

If you have to talk to your neighbor about their weed use, let them know that the smell is bothering you. If you have children, let them know, too.

They might even be all the more considerate and do something about their smoking habits. Most of the time, they may not realize how their actions are affecting someone else.

If you get on their good side, you might even suggest some ideas like having edibles instead of smoking. Or you may suggest having them turn on the fan to blow the smoke out of the windows and into an open area.

Perhaps, you could also suggest they use odor-eliminating products, which will be discussed later in this article.

Hire a Mediator

There is no need to bring matters to court and strain the relationship you have with someone who lives close to you. You can try mediation to resolve the issue. A mediator should help both parties arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution with less expense.

Inform the Landlord

You can ask the help of a landlord if you want the marijuana smell to stop from permeating your home. Either the landlord will ask the neighbor to take it somewhere where others won’t be affected or have the neighbor evicted.

You might be out of luck if the tenant is good at paying rent timely as the landlord may favor them. There are cases in which, you, as the complainant, might ultimately be the one requested to leave because of your excessive complaints.

If, however, the building allows smoking, then that leaves you no choice but to move out and be at peace somewhere else.

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Conclusion: How to Deal With Neighbors Smoking Weed

If you’re having a serious problem with your neighbor smoking weed, mainly because you don’t like the smell, there’s always the option of talking to your neighbor. When you talk to your neighbor, you can suggest solutions that may work for both of you.

Talking can also protect your relationship with your neighbor. When you talk in a polite manner, you might be able to suggest using products that can help eliminate odors or have your neighbor take weed in a different form like edibles.

Or better yet, your neighbor might realize how their actions are affecting you and might stop smoking near you.