Parents smoking weed at a children's party

[CandODad]

So, I hire out a piece of party equipment to children's parties and since it's worth a considerable amount of money intend not to leave the place it's beong used at. I don't need to be with it so I tend to just sit in the van where I know I can see should it "need moving"

The window is open slightly so the van doesn't steam up. Am I the only one shocked by the fact there are at least eight parents at this party that seem to openly smoking weed out in the car park while a seven year olds birthday party goes on inside (one parent of which is the dad of the party child) and children are popping out now and again to talk to parents etc?

To be clear, this was a seven year olds birthday party. I have been around people that do this sort of thing but was shocked by the blatant use of it both in public and in a family setting. If my child had been there there would definitely have been a polite excuse made and we would have left.

To be fair I don't think some of the group trusted others too much either since when I moved the van to load my equipment at the end of the party a guy told me not to trust leaving my sat av on display even though I was still in the van at the back. I politely thanked him and pointed out that every time a door shuts it automatically locks and needs the key.

Am I just out of the loop in this? Do some people REALLY think this is just the same as drinking or normal smoking?

If one of your clients was hanging out in the car park smoking weed, I'd be worried about who was looking after your equipment OP, nevermind the children.

I'm sure the venue hire terms don't say "please don't smoke weed on the premises - we would direct you to the car park, where children are also welcome to play". Even if you don't respect the law of the land, you should respect the terms of a commercial agreement.

I'd also be pretty unamused if I were the adult left to run the party while the other parent 'entertained' the adults, even if they were just drinking tea.

Anyway, presumably this isn't normal practice at children's parties otherwise you would have seen it before, given your line of work.

I think the point is not that it would be fine if they were inside, but that the situation can't be normalised by comparing it to adults smoking cigarettes or drinking outside a children's party, or even just hanging out in a car park.

YY Mrs DeVere. It's illegal to smoke indoors in a public place in the UK.