# Pot smoking neighbors - what to do? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 16, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808 "2010-11-16T01:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/81 "2010-11-17T08:01:37Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > :rolleyes: Screw that and screw them. “But officer, I saw 2 guys walk out of their apartment with 2 giant bags of weed.” If I was the OP, I’d call the cops every day until they did something about it. I might even drop in a couple of bags of boogie in their mailbox. Would you feel bad if someone got hurt because the police had to put down the most-likely-violent crime they were investigating to deal with that guy that keeps calling them? The police don’t have priorities just because they like the idea of having priorities. They probably actually do have something much more important to do than play hall monitor for a slumlord and his passive-aggressive tenants. ---
**Author:** ![kfraser34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@kfraser34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kfraser34)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/82 "2010-11-17T08:26:05Z")
As a person who is very experienced at hiding the scent of pot let me say that it takes massive amounts of pot in a small enclosed space to make someone’s clothes smell like pot… it you meet a smoker who reeks like weed, it is most likely their fingers (or possibly their breath) that you are smelling… resin collects on the fingers of joint smokers and the lips of pipe and bong smokers… and is quite strong and fragrant… 9 times out of 10 that is what you are smelling… not their clothes… ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/83 "2010-11-17T14:36:38Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Would you feel bad if someone got hurt because the police had to put down the most-likely-violent crime they were investigating to deal with that guy that keeps calling them? The police don’t have priorities just because they like the idea of having priorities. They probably actually do have something much more important to do than play hall monitor for a slumlord and his passive-aggressive tenants. So the police should deal only with violent crimes? People call in with noise complaints and such all the time. The OP in this situation seems to think that the police really don’t have much better to do. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/84 "2010-11-17T14:54:14Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Would you feel bad if someone got hurt because the police had to put down the most-likely-violent crime they were investigating to deal with that guy that keeps calling them? The police don’t have priorities just because they like the idea of having priorities. They probably actually do have something much more important to do than play hall monitor for a slumlord and his passive-aggressive tenants. You do realize there are different divisions within police departments, right? The officers that address this particular type of situation would most likely not be same ones that investigate violent crimes. But to answer your question, yes, I would feel terrible if your highly unlikely scenario happened. I would hope that police departments are managed better than that. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/85 "2010-11-17T15:40:42Z")
You already posted it pisses off at least one other tenant. Team up with them and go straight to the landlord. Rent money talks. A savvy business person keeps his paychecks happy. Better to lose 25% rent for a month or two with a vacant unit then 50-75% on a semi-continuous basis. The dopers might pay rent as well, but if a smart landlord knows there is crime going on in his unit, he will want to minimize his risk and get rid of it. Example: When the cops break in the door because of too many complaints, who do you think ends up paying for it? When the unit sits full of doper crap with unpaid rent if pot-head gets hauled off, who takes the hit? Of course, it depends on where you live. Some states make it hard to get rid of people. Nevada is not one of them. They would be gone pretty quick, if not already arrested. Also, any smoker who claims they don’t stink like shit is wrong. Its like a blind guy saying they are good dressers while in striped pants and a paisley shirt. (No offense to the blind! 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/86 "2010-11-17T15:48:25Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > So the police should deal only with violent crimes? They should deal with violent crimes before they deal with people whining about being able to smell pot. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/87 "2010-11-17T16:10:11Z")
My take on this is that, man oh man these people are wasteful with their weed. Shit’s expensive. I smoke eentsy-weensty pinches at a time and make sure that almost every bit of doobie goodness ends up in my lungs where God intended. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/88 "2010-11-17T16:27:20Z")
Team up with your other neighbor and go to your landlord. Explain that you don’t care if they smoke pot all day but that you don’t want to smell it and have it waft through your apartment. Have the landlord address the issue. Who knows, they might be considering evicting the tenant for other reasons and additional complaints of disturbing the neighbors could be the thing that finally gets rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/89 "2010-11-17T17:28:00Z")
Nothing against pot, but the douchebag apologetics in this thread are reliably depressing. Yeah, we get it. You’re “cool.” Low-five! ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/90 "2010-11-17T18:08:19Z")
Yeah, I’m disappointed by the number of people who think “I have a legal right to do X” means “And I also get to be an ass to my neighbors while doing it.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/91 "2010-11-17T18:40:48Z")
I don’t think be able to smell pot in the hallway is any kind of living hell. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/92 "2010-11-17T18:51:21Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t think be able to smell pot in the hallway is any kind of living hell. I don’t mind pot at all–and I think you’re the only one calling it a “living hell”–but if the stench of cigarettes were that strong, wouldn’t it annoy you? I think it’s reasonable that if the smell is so strong that it’s intruding on everyone else’s comfort, the pot smokers should be a bit more neighborly and try harder to contain the smell. I’m surprised by the people who say pot smoke doesn’t linger on clothes. I’ve been outside walking around on the street and passed people who reek obviously of pot. Perhaps you’re just used to the smell. I know when I was a heavy cigarette smoker, I never noticed the stench of my clothes. Once I quit (or slowed down, I’m a social smoker now, once every few weeks), I notice the smell of cigarette smoke _everywhere._ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/93 "2010-11-17T18:51:27Z")
> [@kafoo](#): > > . Someone on the floor downstairs is smoking so much pot that it makes the hallways smell, sometimes creeps into my apartment, and leaves me smelling like pot sometimes when I’m leaving my place. . As you can see, it’s far more than just being "\*able to smell pot in the hallway ". \* ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/94 "2010-11-17T19:10:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t mind pot at all–and I think you’re the only one calling it a “living hell”–but if the stench of cigarettes were that strong, wouldn’t it annoy you? I think it’s reasonable that if the smell is so strong that it’s intruding on everyone else’s comfort, the pot smokers should be a bit more neighborly and try harder to contain the smell. > > I’m surprised by the people who say pot smoke doesn’t linger on clothes. I’ve been outside walking around on the street and passed people who reek obviously of pot. Perhaps you’re just used to the smell. I know when I was a heavy cigarette smoker, I never noticed the stench of my clothes. Once I quit (or slowed down, I’m a social smoker now, once every few weeks), I notice the smell of cigarette smoke _everywhere._ Yup. I quit smoking (cigarettes). Before I quit, I would have sworn that the stink didn’t linger on my clothes; after I quit, I knew better - because I could now smell it on other people’s clothes. ---
**Author:** ![MrBerious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MrBerious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrBerious)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/95 "2010-11-17T19:29:51Z")
You should an hero. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/96 "2010-11-17T19:31:17Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I can’t agree with this. Second hand marijuana smoke could possibly cause a person to fail a drug test, resulting in loss of employment or who knows what. I lived with a chronic smoker for 2.5 years. I was in the Navy and subjected to (relatively) frequent drug tests…about 3 per year. Though a concern, I never failed a test. The guy would smoke pot frequently while I was sitting mere feet from him. Not only did I never fail a drug test, I’ve never been told I smell like pot. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/97 "2010-11-17T19:50:17Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t think be able to smell pot in the hallway is any kind of living hell. :rolleyes: Obnoxious levels of \*any \*distinct smell (i.e., they get into \*your apartment \*and make \*you \*smell like them) are a problem. But nice strawman. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/98 "2010-11-17T20:13:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m surprised by the people who say pot smoke doesn’t linger on clothes. Yes – this insistence is _utterly bizarre_. When I was a teenager I smoked pot rarely and in small amounts; the smell nevertheless always stuck to me, to a degree occasionally remarked upon by others. But even without that experience, cigarette smoke reeks so badly that the claim would baffle me. Would the stench of cigarette smoke be denied, too? Or would it be claimed that the smell of cigarette smoke lingers and attaches to clothes while that of marijuana smoke does not? I suspect there’s a bit of “marijuana is not harmful and should be legalized, therefore anybody making any sort of complaint in any way possibly tangentially related to smoking pot is WROOONG” kind of overreaction. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/99 "2010-11-17T20:18:55Z")
All I know is that not one person ever _told_ me I smelled like pot. I do not find it plausible that so much pot smoke is seeping out from one apartment and into another that the resident of the second apartment is becoming sufficiently redolent to arouse comment from others. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808/100 "2010-11-17T20:21:55Z")
Oh, and while I’m here: Let’s assume for a moment that he writes the truth. His home and clothes smell of an unpleasant, almost certainly illegal substance. There are posters seriously suggesting _that he move away_? Seriously? His neighbors aren’t the Chinese government and his apartment isn’t Tiananmen Square; not every conflict calls for martyrdom on the part of the aggrieved. If you _don’t_ believe he’s telling the truth, then everything is moot and advice is wortheless. In either case “move out” is a terribly silly suggestion. Sheesh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pot-smoking-neighbors-what-to-do/560808.md?page=6)