Neighbours smoking weed

[Gudgyx]

Hello all,

Looking for some advice from you lovely people.

I recently moved into a new flat. Its a 4 in a block property, private rented. We moved as I am 24 weeks pregnant, and needed another bedroom.

I dont know what to do about this issue. I'm not sure if I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but my downstairs neighbour smokes grass constantly. Its grass, not hard dope, so the smell is very strong and easily identifiable.

I wouldnt mind at all if he was doing it in his own flat, but him and the guy directly next door to me smoke it together in the communal close. I'm concerned as I'm pregnant, and obviously will have a newborn there in a few months. The guy downstairs has a young daughter as well, she's maybe about 4 I think.

My flat stinks of it :( I have candles burning constantly in my bedroom, bathroom and living room and can still smell it. It's making me feel sick.

The way I see it, I have 4 choices:

Let it go/ignore it. Other than this there is no problems, not overly noisy etc and after all its only weed, and not something I'd normally have a problem with if it wasnt stinking out my flat.

Get my OH to have a quiet word with them, just asking them to take it in their flats or go right outside. I'm not sure about this, as its obviously taking on 2 neighbours, and I dont know them well enough to know how they'd take it. And the guy downstairs has his young daughter too.

Report them to police. Dont think I'd do this as its a bit extreme for a bit of weed, and nothing would probably get done anyway.

Report them to the landlord. Not sure what good this would do at all!

Does anyone have any advice on what the best thing to do would be, or any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance :)

We had a problem with this in our old rental house. A young lad moved into the under-dwelling and he smoked weed non-stop -- day in, day out. It would waft through our kitchen windows two storeys up, so he must have been smoking like an old engine.

However, our neighbours had it far worse as they shared some sort of old chimney flue with the under-dwelling and the smoke would plume into their living room. It drove them insane and I think they eventually spoke to the Police about it. Whatever happened, the lad got raided and was found in possession of rather a lot of plants. I think he got done for intent to supply.

The awkward thing about these kinds of issues is that the smoke will still be mildly psychoactive. Okay, it isn't going to get you stoned or anything, but I have always been a little bit cautious over these kinds of issues ever since I read a very fascinating article about some choirboys and the discovery that the incense used in their church was affecting their emotional states.

Put it this way, I wouldn't be very happy about weed smoke coming into rooms where there were young children.

I would send an anonymous letter/email to the landlord, reminding them of their duties etc and the drug use and see from there. You can leave anonymous information with crimestoppers.

The thing is talking to them, you dont know how they going to react they might be apologetic but they might also tell you to mind your own business or use more fragrant language.

"Section 8 of the MDA states that a landlord can be in trouble if they are aware of the drug use on the property. Once the OP has complained to the landlord, or if anyone else has, the landlord can be prosecuted."

Can? There are a lot of cans in the law, that never actually realistically happen, and I'd bet my house on the fact that this is one of them.

Thanks everyone for all the advice!

The guy downstairs knows that I know - last week myself and my sister in law were coming into the flat, and he walked out his front door with a lit spliff and said 'oh shit' then went back in!

Its funny someone mentioned growing it actually, my OH text me earlier saying our flat was absolutely roasting and he had no heating on, he said I wonder if that guy downstairs is growing!

We had a contractor in fitting a new shower yesterday and even he noticed it, said the place absolutely reeked.

I might throw on my tightest t shirt showing my rapidly growing bump and go have a word myself next time I know theyre smoking! Its a lingering smell constantly, but gets really really strong when he's actually smoking it.

I know a lot of MNetters take the view that cannabis is relatively harmless. I'm not one of them. Cannabis psychosis is an extremely real and horrible MH condition, and even regular users who don't develop it are likely to have their personalities affected to some extent. The chilled out, laid back image of a stereotypical cannabis user may indeed be a bit of a stereotype, but there's good evidence to show even moderate use can do long term harm.

Oh and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had large numbers of plants growing in there from your description.

I know a lot of MNetters take the view that cannabis is relatively harmless

Do they really? i think in the youth there should be zero tolerance on it, when your an adult you can do what you want.

Recent studies show how it effects school performance negatively in addition to any MH issues it may trigger.

OP you have my sympathies, weed smells disgusting. My neighbour and her friends smoke it with their windows open so if me and the children are outside we have to come in.
If I were you I would pop down and have a friendly word.

I had the same issue.

Talk to your local Community Support Officer. They are usually pretty friendly and will pop round for a word on the basis they were passing and smelt something funny. It could deter them.

In my case they too had a child and in the end a report to social services is what it took to put an end to it once and for all.

You could gently suggest they use a vaporizer instead of burning their weed, you can get vaporizers on Amazon for £25 and there is next to no smell from them. It is also much kinder on the lungs and will make their weed go further so tell them that

Can I just add that cannabis causing psychosis and poor school performance is by no means conclusively proven, it is not known whether it's causation or correlation. There is a great deal of hysteria around cannabis.

I would have a quiet word, explain that you understand one of them can't do it in own flat with a child but the smell where they are is affecting you.
Say "obviously I thought talking to you was far better than reporting to police and ll". Then you have let them know what you will do if they don't move somewhere else.
I wouldn't mind somebody asking me and would be happy to do it somewhere else.
They won't want to go outside during the winter, but that's not your problem.

Well, I'd go for an agreement about it, rather than threats etc because pregnant OP lives there- just moved in and probably signed a lease for a year at the minimum.
Also the smokers live there, and might be ok neighbours apart from their stinky habit of smoking grass.

Ask them to move 6m away from your flat before they light up, as its the law and also ask them to smoke at a time that suits so you can close your windows. Sometimes not knowing when something will happen is more stressful. And also it might make the smoking less attractive to them if they have to schedule it.

I'd definitely contact a local mediator to help you negotiate what you want.

Fwiw, I agree that smoking canabis changes the brains of the smoker, and not in a good way.
But that decision of whether they smoke or not isn't for anyone to make for these guys - who, btw seem to have a factory in their flat if it's very warm etc.... They have lamps on.

That's more worrying as they may be selling it soon, and that's illegal etc

Imo, that's the thing to contact the landlord about .....
Up to you if you want to use it as free heating, but when I was pregnant I was toasty warm and didn't even need the heat on.

Yanbu! I had this problem before, it's such a distinctive smWhy would you ever let your DD near a man who came on to the equivalent of his stepdaughter and a woman who failed to believe it afterwards?

probably be especially worried if I had a baby on the way. Luckily I was only there on a temporary basis!

In your circumstances I would speak to the landlord and if that doesnt work go to the police. I wouldn't send your dh to speak with them, if they are selfish enough to smoke that stuff right outside other people's front doors they are hardly going to be reasonable about it, also if you do then report it

Sorry stupid tablet! I posted before I had finished!

If you do then report it after your dh has had words with them they will know who did it!

Hope you get it sorted op, congratulations on your pregnancy!

Bloody thing I made a real mess of that! So sorry, what I meant to say is that weed has such a distinctive smell and it seeps into your clothes etc.

Tons of people are growing the stuff now. The (? ex) dealer I know has more or less been put out of business by people growing the stuff and his recent drug raid. Hydroponics shops are everywhere, it is big business now.

Thought I'd give you all an update.

My OH met the guy next door outside last night when he was coming in from work. He explained to him about the smell and me being pregnant etc. He was very apologetic, said he would go outside and away from the door in future, and he would tell the guy downstairs to as well.

Glad I didnt go to the police as it turns out his partner (who also lives next door with him) is a police officer in the local nick!!

OH says he seems like a decent enough guy, so hopefully shouldnt have anymore issues.

Thanks everyone :)

Good luck, then! Whose partner is a police officer? The weed guy's partner??

There was 2, one guy downstairs and the guys directly next door. Its next doors partner who is in the police.

another result for communication! As many have noted, smokers (of anything) don't smell their own reek.

fingers crossed they have now worked it out.