Cannabis Usage

[bookend]

What is the law nowadays on cannabis usage? My neighbour smokes a "spliff" around six times times daily outside his council house with seemingly impunity. The cannabis reek is unmistakable. The kids on the estate are familiar with the smell and seem to take it in their stride. What would happen if I reported it to the police? Is it a criminal offence these days? The guy has a number of children at home under the age of 10 and seems to be setting a bad example. Would the Council Housing Officer take action?

Personally, I couldn't care less what the neighbour does to his own health, but when there are possible implications for the young children, I feel it's a different matter. Despite his usage, I doubt very much that he is a dealer.

[Answerprancer]

"What would happen if I reported it to the police?"
IMO you'd be wasting police time and you'd probably disrupt a family life that is likely to be more stable than you thought.
Yes, cannabis is a class B drug and possession/use is still a criminal offence, though f knows why, it is ostensibly less dangerous than alcohol.

[silliemillie]

You would probably be better off getting in touch with the Council as it's obviously a breach of their tenancy agreement.

They might not be interested but they just might.
A similar situation happened near my daughter and the Council DID intervene and threaten them with eviction. Depends on your Local Authority I suppose.

[Hypognosis]

The dilemma for anyone (in the right) wanting to report a neighbour is that it may be frightfully easy for them to work out that ir was you.

Or, equally, they could guess wrongly and your action starts a feud which never even existed previously, between them and some other neighbour, or inflames whichever neighbour relationship is already the most tense.

If you go ahead, we may, at the very least, learn where the council draws the line between "within the home" and "in a public place". The property boundary? The door frame? The front/rear step? The edge of the patio? The balcony? (blocks of flats)

Any kind of exposure of children to smoke, inside a car, has already been outlawed, if I understand correctly. The Englishman's (gender neutral) home is his (ditto) castle is still sacrosanct, so authorities are only able to "recommend" that we do not fumigate our own children.

[lardhelmet]

6 spliffs a day? He must be so laid back he's horizontal.

[Hypognosis]

@lardhelmet

we need to play the Magic Roundabout theme, on repeat, at this point.

[mikey4444]

Difficult one this. I also have a neighbour who is a heavy user, but he doesn't seem to cause me any harm.

Not being a drug user myself, I have a natural antipathy to drug taking of any sort. However, I recognise that drug misuse is rife in our society these days.

But bookend, whatever you do, its likely to come back and bite you on the bum, so proceed with caution. The issue of all those young children in the house is worrying though.

[ummmm]

If he's smoking outside what can the council do about it?

[CrapAtCryptics]

Have a chat with a PCO and explain your concern that you might be linked in with him and the effect it might have on local kids.

[Arksided]

It's nice that you have concern for his children but I'd advise caution if you proceed with anything he most like will be aware that it's you as you've being watching him to know he has average six a day. Are you sure it's not for medicinal purposes a neighbour of mine has arthritis and says it helps him but I have no idea how much he smokes.

[EDDIE51]

I have said on here before my daughter is a cannabis user. I have reported her supplier to then police and to 'Crimestoppers' but nothing happens.
It is not the effect on health so much as the cost. My daughter spends at least £40 a week on weed and £20 on tobacco. She is on income support for herself and 3 children. Obviously she can't afford the habit so we end up paying for her food and bills out of our pension. She knows we will not see our grandchildren go hungry or without clothes ,shoes or school uniform etc, so she has us ' between a rock and a hard place'.
I wish I could see a way out of this but so far I can't .

[ummmm]

Tough love, Eddie.

[mikey4444]

Eddie...very depressing post. Not sure what to say but to echo Ummms Tough Love.

[Arksided]

I remember reading about that Eddie, there is no easy solution to that one but wish you all the best with it.

[Ken4155]

Whilst 6 spliffs a day sounds a bit much if it's for medicinal remedy, the one thing in this guy's favour is that he is doing his smoking outside and not filling his house with the toxic fumes which could affect his children.

[mikey4444]

There are some people that would argue that cannabis is not addictive.

I am not a user but 5 "spliffs" every day seems to me an addiction, but I am quite prepared to be told differently.

[ummmm]

My office is above a bar and the other rooms are rented out. There's a few smokers there and it really stinks so I completely understand bookend's annoyance. I just don't think there's much that can be done. The police are not usually interested in weed for personal use.

[Arksided]

Mikey, I used to smoke it in my late teens/early twenties until it started to send me a bit Ga-ga. Time to stop which was easy but nicotine not so much.

[Hypognosis]

@EDDIE

Intoxication, on a daily basis, is in response to what source of despair?

I imagine you've already talked through the stresses and strains in her life, with her?

How would you react differently, if this were alcohol consumption?

Off-topic and personal so you're welcome to treat this as rhetorical. In the meantime, I want to explore whether it might be because weed and cigs are cheaper than booze? (There's no tax on illegal substances, which either lends cheapness to the intoxicant or hands the dealer an instant profit margin versus booze).

[TWR]

Eddie you may not like my answer but here goes, whilst you help her with the money / food issues it will keep happening, she can see you are a soft touch & will alway help her out, my way would be to stop the handouts after giving her, and I'm sure you have, a warning that this has to stop, sorry but that would be my way.

[Peter Pedant]

hmm not sure

we tried reporting a cannabis grow but the police did nothing
using I think is low on the list

currently my Grove is a bit of a war zone as the two dealers ( gurlz) have been at each others throats with a tin opener ( yes really ) . One is bailed and fled and the other is hiding from drug enforcers ( no not the police)
Police are involved - but cant be called exactly "active"
Children involved - six or eight - I mean lots and we were careful to call the social services who of course already knew....

very difficult to know which knob to press which will get results