To ask my neighbours if they insist on smoking weed….

[Emille87]

to do it in their back garden as opposed to in their house as the smell is coming into my home. We live in a semi abs we are on friendly terms with our neighbours. They are mid 30’s have two dc and seemed very nice people. We only moved to the area about six months ago and a while back I thought I could smell weed in my hallway but thought nah it must be something else. Well it turns out it wasn’t. My neighbours are full on smoking it a few times a week now and the smell is literally coming through the walls mostly into my kitchen but also into my hall which then wafts upstairs. Other than this issue we haven’t had any problems with the neighbours and they seem nice out dc get on with each other etc. I just can’t take the smell anyone. My dh had said he’ll have a word but I have an anxiety disorder and I know if he speaks to them I’ll be worried and paranoid about seeing or speaking to them when I leave the house.

@Beefcurtains79

But you smoke cigarettes and also have children,- surely they breathe that in even if just off your clothes and skin when you come back from the garage (which I assume stinks of fags). You seem rather hypocritical.

Absolutely correct. This is why nursery workers aren’t allowed to smoke in uniform. Carcinogens linger in clothes skin and breath and cause the same damage to children ad passive smoking. Search third hand smoke.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-third-hand-smoke/

Whilst I sympathise about the smell, weed smells absolutely vile, I honestly don’t think social Carr or the school will do a Damn thing if parents smoke weed. As long as children are fed, they’re not interested. The benchmark for intervention is ridiculously low.

I would weigh up the damage this could cause the relationship vs reporting, if you cannot move should things get difficult. Much as I would hate it too.

Yes I smoke. It isn’t good I realise that. Fwiw I’m not a heavy smoker far from it, around 3 a day, and I’m trying to quit. It isn’t really hypocritical of me as my smoking outside away from my dc. It doesn’t annoy my family or annoy any of the neighbours.

Well done on cutting down/quitting with your anxiety OP.

It’s not great that I smoke I know. But i don’t take drugs and I’m tee total as I don’t like the way alcohol used to make me feel.

The stench of weed makes me feel really sick, I'd definitely try reporting it to see if anything can be done.

It's not great at all that they'd do it in front of the children however personally I don't see how smoking it when they are in bed is any sort of a problem unless you also think that having a couple of wines once children are in bed a few times a week is a safeguarding issue. Weed should be legalised and is safer than alcohol.

They’re not only smoking it when the dc are in bed though. The other day for example I could smell it in my kitchen when I was making a cuppa. The kids were in the kitchen as they had their kitchen window open and i could hear them.

Fwiw my dh husband usually has a couple of beers on a Saturday night once the dc are in bed. He doesn’t get drunk and he has me on hand if there was an emergency and I needed to drive so for us at least alcohol isn’t a safeguarding issue.

@Emille87, perhaps do as @Cattitudes said and look at the ventilation between the houses. Just approach your neighbours and say there seems to be a problem with air flow so can they help you find the issue.

You are not going to stop them smoking weed, you smoke so you know how it goes. Best case scenario is that they smoke in their garden but you will still get the smell.

I would be very careful about reporting too, most probably nothing will be done and you have to live with the consequences as they will know it is you who reported.

I have never heard of weed seeping through walls though, have you mouseholes?

Some people pay good money to have their houses smell of weed, OP:

www.perfumesloewe.com/int/en_GB/home-scents/scented-candles/large-scent-of-marihuana-candle-LW67607.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8p2MBhCiARIsADDUFVGIJ-XDBDY9kcVkmqSLdi8fLLcxeORNl63DaUAcpgUAS7p2pdwqzNQaAuvfEALw_wcB

I found that when I was looking for these

ittlefieldsfarm.com/prices-candles-candle-room-scenter-anti-tobacco?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Everything%20Else%20-%20Microsoft%20Shopping&utm_content=Everything%20Else&utm_term=STX123356&msclkid=f7a4e68cae341fdb4afb870474d80b13

They're pretty effective at reducing the smell of tobacco smoke, so might work on the weed smell.

I'd like my neighbours to stop cooking chips in what smells like ancient lard. Even when I've been out for hours, I know if they've had chips for dinner the minute I open my front door. And our front doors are at opposite sides of the houses (semi-detached), so I guess that the smell is getting in through the air bricks in the chimney breasts, which are on the party wall.

Likewise, they probably don't like the smell of of me cooking with garlic, or poaching fish, but as neither of us can afford to move into a detached house, we'll just have to suck it up.

I sympathise with you having had years of neighbours smoking skunk and it seeping through the bricks, loft space and floorboards in the cupboard under the stairs. Unless you know the neighbours well, I don't think you're likely to find them willing to go and smoke in a cold garden for your benefit. It's not a solution as such but for us, we found using the ONA blocks absorbed the odour and made it more tolerable at least.

@Prattypatel

What to you live in? A hut,a cardbox?I dont know any building that would allow smoke from weed penetrate walls.if they smoke outside,there is nothing you can do about,apart from speaking to your neighbour about it.

Good for you. The smell of weed is very pungent. I can smell my neighbours smoking It through the brick bedroom wall . It is truly vile.

So I just have to suck it up and live like this?

Have you looked into a HA house swap?

If they don't care about smoking it in the house when their own children are there, they are very unlikely to give a shit about your house smelling of it.

I’d definitely talk to them - there is no way I would want my house to stink of their smoke - weed or not.

I guess the fact I have some sensory issues around smell doesn’t help things. FWIW I never smell them cooking food so I guess what ever strain of weed they’re smoking it must be strong for it to seep through the walls. My teenage ds is more mature and responsible than my neighbours and makes his feelings known about them smoking weed. I feel sorry for our neighbours kids growing up thinking that it’s normal and acceptable to smoke an illegal drug. But hey hi I guess I just have to live with for now whilst praying that one day we’ll have saved enough money for a deposit to buy out own home and get the hell out of here.

Oh and just a point. When my dh left for work at 7am he seen our neighbour get in his car and leave for work too. So clearly after him smoking last night he’s drug driving. But hey it’s Mumsnet after all so I assume that’s acceptable.

My SD and GC live in a flat and their neighbours smoke weed continuously and it does deep through the building they've put brushes that you attach to the door ( don't know what they're called ) to lesson the gaps so it's harder for the smoke to penetrate. Unfortunately they have to walk past the weed smokers flat to get to theirs so you can often smell it on their clothes. I feel sorry for the people who live directly above them as they probably get the brunt of it. There's really not a lot you can do and as others have said even smoking it outside it will still waft into your property.

Offer to buy them a smoking shed. My old neighbour had one with low lighting, comfy benches and a small bar.

It was really nice but smelt like Amsterdam.

The problem is a suppose if we have a word with them and nothing changes and then I report them to the HA they will know it was up. At the minute they don’t know that we can smell the weed in our house so there isn’t a problem as far they’re concerned so I don’t know whether I should just bypass speaking to them and speak to the HA instead.

Oh OP that must be horrific, it’s a vile smell. I think you should report - to the HA and SS. And to the police if you think he’s drug driving.

Id just try and ignore it, or let them know you can smell it through the walls and you thought it best to let them know that theyre not as discreet as they might think as the other side can probably smell it too.
I think the most important thing is to remain on friendly terms with your neighbours as much as humanly possible, as tension or hostility is worse for your health and quality of life than putting up with neighbours smoking smells. Also they might try and reduce it if you are nice about it. If you report it to everyone that wont be the case. Theyre just trying to live their lives just like you are

@Emille87

Oh and just a point. When my dh left for work at 7am he seen our neighbour get in his car and leave for work too. So clearly after him smoking last night he’s drug driving. But hey it’s Mumsnet after all so I assume that’s acceptable.

Of course it's not acceptable and no one on this thread thinks that either but the fact is what people choose to do in their own home is their business you have two choices either speak to them or ignore it. Fwiw if your husband could smell weed in the kitchen this morning it's more likely that your neighbours have had a joint this morning before going to work so you should report that if you think he's driving under the influence of drugs.