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AIBU?

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Original poster

About the smell of weed coming from next door

116 replies

Fernlea · 01/10/2020 14:05

My daughter can smell weed in her bedroom, which isn't something she finds particularly pleasant, not sure if it's seeping through the walls, or they are smoking outside below her room. I can see they are growing cannabis plants on their bedroom window cill so pretty certain it's that/them.
Trouble is they are new neighbours and just wondering how best to tackle this?

OP posts:
ScribblingMilly · 02/10/2020 12:10

SlightlyCheesedOff, Sounds likely, you smell it everywhere as skunk is so strong compared to cannabis of days yore. Sometimes I smell something similar in a wood on a damp day - it is, as you say, a very green smell, stronger than grass on a compost heap.

roarfeckingroarr · 02/10/2020 12:10

Cannabis smoking is so grim, especially when it affects others. Speak to them, then speak to the police - they might take more notice if you tell them they're growing the stuff. Yuck.

CitizenFame · 02/10/2020 12:17

All the people advising to ring the police 🙄 Unless you live in a sleepy village somewhere where it makes front page news if someone fell over and their shoe came off, the police won’t come out for someone smoking in their own house (and will probably laugh at you behind your back after they put the phone down).

I’d just talk to them and ask them if they could move the plant. Do it after they’ve smoked when they’ll be chilled out lol.

TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 12:26

I’d just talk to them and ask them if they could move the plant.

No one is growing cannabis on a window sill in the UK. Well, not for harvest leastways. For a decent yield you'd need a plant around 3-4ft tall minimum, and at least 2ft at the base.

It would be a waste of time and money on seeds.

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork · 02/10/2020 12:32

Can someone please tell me what it smells like.

Well, this probably won't help you but I think it smells exactly like the very strong stink of fox wee/spray. In fact, I can't tell much difference except the fox spray is possibly slightly less strongly smelly. That will only help you if you have a lot of foxes around you like us. It is indeed a sour sort of rank smell.

Eng123 · 02/10/2020 12:42

Definitely report to the police stating that you can smell it, and that they are cultivating in the house. Add that there seems to be a lot of visitors. With a quick sniff at the door that is strong enough reason gain a search. No excuse for this rubbish being inflicted on people.

TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 13:22

@mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork

Can someone please tell me what it smells like.

Well, this probably won't help you but I think it smells exactly like the very strong stink of fox wee/spray. In fact, I can't tell much difference except the fox spray is possibly slightly less strongly smelly. That will only help you if you have a lot of foxes around you like us. It is indeed a sour sort of rank smell.

Hmm

Imagine a very cloying sickly sweet honeysuckle sort of aroma. It's terpenes in the flowers so a similar chemistry to basil, hops (which family cannabis is member of), rosemary oregano.

Original poster
Fernlea · 02/10/2020 13:57

I can see they are growing cannabis plants on their bedroom window cill

No you can't ..

Oh YES I can!!!!

It's quite clear what it is, like I say I know my plants, this one takes up most of a big window, sure it's probably just for their own use.

I never even though of my DD's clothes smelling, OMG and she is a primary school teacher FGS...

OP posts:
Sh05 · 02/10/2020 14:22

I have a similar problem from my neighbours but the smell fills up the downstairs hallway and upstairs bathroom.
I feel it has become the norm amongst 20 and 30 something's as the tenants before these were the same.
I didn't actually know what the smell was at first until there was a drugs raid on a house near DDS primary and as the police came out we all got a whiff of a really strong, pungent herby smell.

VestaTilley · 02/10/2020 14:44

Knock on the door and ask them to stop. If they don’t, ring the police.

I loathe cannabis and the anti social people who smoke it. It impacts on us all and stinks to high heaven.

I’m really annoyed at the police for turning such a blind eye to it nowadays.

Thatbliddywoman · 02/10/2020 14:47

It isn't the polices fault, they just don't have the resources for small crimes such as personal use of drugs. And unfortunately they have worse things to deal with than a smell causing an annoyance.

notreallybotheredaboutausernam · 02/10/2020 14:49

@Notimeforaname

You can't grow cannabis on a windowsill

You absolutely can.
There are some cannabis plants that are auto flowering. They stay small and dont need timed lights,sunlight is enough.
Although at this time of year they're not likely to be growing much from the window ,unless the plant is nearly done.

OP, buy a carbon filter for your daughters room or perhaps suggest your neighbours get one. It takes the smell away.

My neighbour smokes a lot and it seeps into my bedroom and makes me feel sick. I have no intention of reporting them to anyone, so this is interesting. What form do I buy this in? I had a quick google and it seems to be something for a car. Where would I put it? I'd appreciate the advice as I think it smells like sick!
TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 15:10

It's the growers that should be fitting a carbon filter, not their neighbours.

Generally in the UK, it's not a great idea to advertise the fact you are growing cannabis. Quite aside from dealing with the vagaries of the law, is the much more unpleasant possibility of the local ne'er do wells (literally) getting wind of it, and deciding to mount a little operation to relieve the grower of their stash and cash - with unfortunate outcomes if there isn't much of either.

MedicalMystery1 · 02/10/2020 15:17

I have the same issue. Neighbour smokes it. We are both mid twenties and as much as I don’t find it pleasant, I only put up with it as there is no bad feelings between us and being young (I’ve lived here 6 years) we have never had an issue with them regarding noise, parties etc so I try to keep positive and say it could be a hella lot worse!

It’s hard to know what to do isn’t it Sad

movingonup20 · 02/10/2020 15:22

Put a note through saying you can smell it strongly and you politely request them to move as far away from your property as possible otherwise you will need to consider to report it. This should be sufficient for casual users to either stop or go to the end of the garden. Police will raid for cannabis but it will be low priority

Noterday · 02/10/2020 15:27

We had this, and I got so fed up I phoned the police for advice on how to deal with it.

They said first port of call was to knock and ask them to stop, in a friendly way, rather than a threatening way. If that didn't work then write a note telling them it was still bothering us and we would have to contact the police if it continued. Then if it continued, to call the police back.

So they were semi-interested.

I don't really see the point in it being illegal if the police are going to take absolutely no interest in it. Though I do get that they are WAY overstretched.

Makes it easier in our case that they are end of terrace and always smoke in the garden, so technically I guess a police officer could smell/spot them at it when "passing" (though I think they're probably, at a guess (!) too busy to drop everything and run to our street if I smell it and call them!).

Anyway, we found that speaking to them (twice) has had a pretty good effect. It's way less often now at least. Could also just be the bad weather has driven them inside...

Anyway, us mentioning that it was affecting the kids seemed to do the trick. Seems not all stoners are heartless ;)

EasyAndy101 · 02/10/2020 15:28

Someone in our building asked if we could stop smoking in the flat

So we started smoking it outside

tbh I'd rather smoke inside but I'm also quite keen on not bothering people in their homes, so going for a walk round the block at night seems reasonable

TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 15:36

@EasyAndy101

Someone in our building asked if we could stop smoking in the flat

So we started smoking it outside

tbh I'd rather smoke inside but I'm also quite keen on not bothering people in their homes, so going for a walk round the block at night seems reasonable

Grin

There are 2 separate issues with cannabis smells.

  1. Growing it. You really shouldn't be able to smell anyone growing it (fro reasons upthread). The proper setup is an enclosed room, or space inside a room (there are tents available for exactly this purpose) with air extraction via a carbon filter that gets changed every 2 or so grows. The tent also keeps light from the plants if they aren't autoflowering to prevent hermaphrodites.

  2. Smoking it. Not much to say here, really. If it's smoked indoors than like cigarette smoke it can travel and seep, and if smoked outdoors it can float through an open window. Vaping will cut down any odours massively (and is healthier than using tobacco).

All users with have their own needs and consumption, but a genuine personal grower should be able to keep a very low profile with little effort.

Personally I have zero time for non-personal growers (to the extent I'd find them guilty if I was on a jury Smile).

D4rwin · 02/10/2020 15:45

If they'res only a few on the windowsill the chances are they are elsewhere in the house too. Particularly if the cloying smell if it has come through the walls like that. Practice your blankest face and ask them when they are going to fit proper ventilation to deal with the unplesant stink of the cannabis?

user1471538283 · 02/10/2020 15:48

The smell of it is revolting. I would report them. I wouldn't care if they knew it was me. They are not your friends

TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 15:52

@D4rwin

If they'res only a few on the windowsill the chances are they are elsewhere in the house too. Particularly if the cloying smell if it has come through the walls like that. Practice your blankest face and ask them when they are going to fit proper ventilation to deal with the unplesant stink of the cannabis?
If you are growing cannabis for it's pharmaceutical properties, you need quite a bit of light power to get anything remotely decent. Generally nothing less than a 250W HPS lamp is going to deliver enough from a single plant to make it worthwhile. A really experienced grower might pull 1g/W from a grow, but 100g from 400W is more usual.

Plants away from the sun will need proper hydroponic lighting (even if they are being grown in soil).

And if you were growing cannabis indoors under lights, WTF would you then put a plant on a window sill to advertise the fact to your neighbours ? (Not that you need that much brains to grow cannabis). That's before you consider that since cannabis pollen is everywhere (it floats and there's a lot wild and grown for hemp in the UK) a plant so exposed is highly likely to end up fertilised. Which is not what you want - sinsemilla meaning "without seed" and being the Name of the Game.

Original poster
Fernlea · 02/10/2020 16:05

I am learning so much here. Thank you for all your comments.
I am not keen on confronting them as one is particularly sassy but if it keeps on bothering my DD and her clothes start to smell then I'll definitely do something about it.
If the bad weather had driven them inside well I ain't looking forward to a lockdown winter!

OP posts:
TheEC · 02/10/2020 16:13

Uh I feel for you op. My neighbours do too and the whole street reeks and the smell just hangs around outside 24/7 now. My neighbours aren’t the type you can chat to and tbh every one knows it reeks and they clearly don’t give AF so I can’t see them deciding to stop just because I point out the smell 🤮

TheUser420 · 02/10/2020 16:49

I am not keen on confronting them as one is particularly sassy but if it keeps on bothering my DD and her clothes start to smell then I'll definitely do something about it.

If the smell is lingering in clothes it won't be from growing. Terpenes (generally) aren't soluble in water and so the won't dissolve in the vapour in the air to settle in fabric. However the particles of burned tobacco and cannabis are basically dust and can settle and smell.

I have little time for anti-social cannabis users. Much like anti-social alcohol users and (thankfully rarer these days) anti-social tobacco users.

It used to be a golden rule of growing cannabis to only break one law at a time and be a good neighbour and citizen in every other respect.

Sadly the CBD snakeoil gold rush has seen an influx of riff raff, and standards are declining.

DespairingHomeowner · 03/10/2020 03:38

@user1471538283

The smell of it is revolting. I would report them. I wouldn't care if they knew it was me. They are not your friends
^ this. Do they rent? If so, report to their landlord as he will be breaking terms of his mortgage and insurance by allowing illegal activity on property

Police might turn up for growing, & def report if they drive stoned