Asking Eric: I don’t care if my neighbors choose to smoke pot, I just don’t want to smell it

DEAR ERIC: We live in a suburban neighborhood where the homes are fairly close together. We have a very nice screened-in porch and a large deck that we added two years ago. Typically fall is our favorite time of year to be outside on our deck, and we like to eat breakfast and dinner on our porch.
Our next-door neighbors are heavy pot smokers and the smell from the pot is so strong and offensive to us that we are no longer able to use the outside areas we used to love to use.
They have lived here for about two years and, while they are somewhat friendly, they are not especially approachable. We smelled the pot last fall, but they only smoked occasionally so it was not a problem.
For some reason, their pot smoking has significantly increased this year to the point that of the five or six times a day that my husband or I walk outside our house, the smell is unbearable.
I certainly understand that it is their right to smoke on their property and I don’t care if they choose to smoke pot. I just don’t want to smell it. I have considered talking to the pot smokers, but I don’t know them well and have no sense of how they will react.
– Smoked Out
DEAR SMOKED OUT: Part of being a good neighbor is having an awareness of how one’s way of living affects everyone else. So, letting your neighbors know that you can smell their pot, and you’d rather not is a good start. And it’s the only way of finding out how they’ll react. They may not realize that the smell is carrying, or that it bothers you.
Hopefully, they’ll make changes to solve the issue so everyone can happily coexist. If they don’t, however, you might want to invest in a porch fan to help clear the air. Fans that are charged by solar panels are great options, as they can blow constantly without running up your electric bill.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.