Hi all,
Before you call me a killjoy and just go inside, I just want to use my space. This is a throwaway account. I’m in the UK and could use some advice on how to handle a situation with neighbours (and a family member) who constantly smoke weed right next to my garden.
To be clear, I don’t actually care that they smoke. That’s their choice. The issue is the smell—it’s constant, strong, and drifts straight into my garden and house. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t sit outside without feeling a bit sick, and it makes my laundry stink.
I live next to a primary school, and I regularly hear kids over the wall complaining about the smell, too. A lot of the nearby neighbours are elderly, some with breathing issues, and it’s affecting them as well.
I’ve politely asked both my neighbour and my cousin if they could either smoke inside instead of right by the fence, or go for a short walk (there are wooded areas with benches about 5 minutes away that are away from the community), but I just get shrugged off and nothing changes.
Part of what makes this harder is that my cousin used to be on Class A drugs, and now only smokes weed. So I’m a bit torn—I don’t want to be the reason they end up going back to something worse, which is why I’ve been reluctant to escalate things.
I don’t want to report it to the police—it feels extreme, and I’d rather resolve it informally if possible. But at the same time, I just want to be able to use my own garden without having to deal with secondhand smoke all the time.
Has anyone dealt with something like this? What would you do in my situation? Are there any practical or low-conflict ways to handle it?
Thanks in advance.
UPDATE. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't every day. There have been a lot of comments telling me to suck it up, which I get. It just kinda feels unfair to the rest of the community. I feel like an asshole about it to begin with.
Final Update.
Just to clarify, as a final update, I’m not anti-weed, and I don’t have an issue with people choosing to smoke. I know this is a divisive topic online, which probably explains the mixed responses.
Thanks to those who gave genuinely helpful and practical suggestions—that’s what I was looking for.
I’m going to take on board the advice, and for now, I’ll be looking into getting a fan and resealing my windows and doors to help reduce the smell coming into the house. My garden definitely qualifies as ‘green space’ atm — just not in the way I imagined 😅😂.