I’m considering moving in with a friend from work, who shares a house with two others. This in an effort to save much moolah, as any one who lives in the Bay Area can attest, housing ain’t cheap here.
Anyway, these guys smoke pot…a lot, whereas I don’t. What I want to know is, am I putting myself in any legal danger by moving in with them? For instance, if the police were at the house for whatever reason and discovered marijuana, would I be liable even if I did not purchase, smoke, or otherwise interact with the marijuana in any way?
Possibly. It would depend on the situation. If the cops come in and you happen to be sitting near the marijuana, you might be charged with a crime. Any time you get charged, there is a chance you might get convicted.
Also, exposure to second hand smoke might cause you to fail a drug screen…and lots of employers require drug screens, especially during the hiring process.
No idea what the law is in the US, but a student guide in the UK advised that there was a difference between the police finding drugs in someone’s bedroom and in a common area every one uses. Where do these guys light up?
A few years ago, I was in France visiting an English friend who has moved there. Another English guy who lives nearby to assist us reducing the European Wine Lake.
He happened to bring some of his home grown, so he and I did a bit of testing.
My pal does not smoke anything, weighs in at about 250 lbs and can out drink a horse.
The room was large and well ventilated.
He got ‘passively stoned’ - at the time he denied it, but the next morning he realized what had happened and was extremely surprized.
unless the roommates have bricks of it stashed it in house, worst case scenario, what is the penalty for simple pot possession- a 50.00 fine I think? I wouldn’t sweat it if its only pot.
S’long as they don’t sell it out of the house and you keep your vigil, can’t think of anything. Do watch out if your company runs drug screens, though, it might show up if the putzes light up in the living room.
Basically in the unlikely event that the police have reason to come in and find some pot it could go a couple of ways. “Who does this pot belong to?” Roomate says it’s mine. Roomate gets locked up. Or… Everyone says it isn’t theirs and everyone gets locked up. Not very likely unless they do something stupid which makes the cops show up. Oh wait, they are high all the time so it’s more likely that they will do something stupid .
I’m not sure why you would want to live in a house where everyone is getting high all the time if you don’t. Sounds like a bad situation to begin with.
Locked up for pot in California? Unless they have several ounces and are openly selling it, the cops aren’t going to care. In many municipalities, the cops are specifically instructed not to bother with minor possession. Possession of under an ounce without the intent to sell is a minor infraction akin to a parking ticket here.
I’ll take your word for it. Here you get “locked” up but not for long. You are brought in, processed and released with a summons (under 50 grams). I little more than a parking ticket but not extremely serious either. The OP did say that they smoke a lot. If there are several people in the house and they all smoke a lot there is a much better chance of there being some serious weight in the house.
Besides who would want to live in a house full of stoners unless you were one too? Just as bad as moving in with a bunch of drunks if you are a teetotaler. Along with everything else the stoners will eat up all your snacks.
The consequences in the future for a drug-related conviction are not worth the money saved. This is not a moral stand on the issue of marijuana. It is a simple reality check. The conviction would show-up on background checks unless and until you managed to get it expunged, which isn’t an automatic thing. And you never know what you might want to do in the future that you don’t want a drug-related offense showing up on.
I know a person who didn’t smoke pot, though her boyfriend and her roommate did. She answered the door to the apartment when the police arrived to investigate a complaint of pot-smoking. She ended up with the conviction on possession. In later years, she has applied to do things like substitute teach, get into graduate school, etc., and the conviction always pops up. She finally managed to get it expunged.
Legally, I think there’s little danger from living with a couple of non-dealer pot smokers.
You might want to reconsider living with people who’s vices significantly differ from yours. People who drink or smoke pot excessively have lifestyles that differ slightly from those who don’t. For example, if you live with someone who drinks a lot, pretty much expect them to come home at odd hours, making noise and possibly having a new “friend” with them. Pot smokers tend to not take care of shit and spend a lot of time veging out around the house. It can become frustrating if you don’t share in those activies…for both parties
Can you trust these guys to admit it’s their pot should the situation present itself?
I can’t imagine there is a cop in this world that would charge you with an offense if the other guys are willing to admit it’s theirs. (Assuming th OP doesn’t have any prior drug related incidents)
I have no trouble with pot, i think it should be legal, and i have plenty of friends who smoke at parties. But i’ve lived with full-on stoners before, and if you’re not a stoner yourself they can make for very annoying room-mates.
Can you trust these guys to admit it’s their pot should the situation present itself?
I can’t imagine there is a cop in this world that would charge you with an offense if the other guys are willing to admit it’s theirs. (Assuming th OP doesn’t have any prior drug related incidents)
One other thing…
I used to be in a situation like your’s, yrs ago… Although I was not a TOTAL abstainer, I would say that I rarely toked.
The other people in the house (3 of them) basically smoked a joint in the morning while they were deciding if they wanted to get high or not…)
In other words, they smoked a lot, and constantly.
We were NEVER busted, but one day a boss at work came over and said… I personally don’t care if you smoke dope or not, your work is great and you have no attendance or other issues… but often you come in smelling of it, and I am worried about the impression that may make on our clients.
I hadn’t been smoking, but my clothes smelled as if I had been…
Also the previous poster’s comments about differing lifestyles , combined with my bosses’ comment was what finally made me search our a dope free residence…
Just another thing (or two) to consider…
20+ years in law enforcement here. Let me tell you something: It’s NEVER theirs!
Of the hundreds, maybe even thousands of times I’ve taken dope of people, big bags, small bags, a room full of plants, a hefty bag out of their pants [ it’s happened, I am not kidding] the first words out of their mouth is:
IT’S NOT MINE!!!
I don’t know how anyone in this country is getting high as someone else is always holding their weed!
