Is The Smell Of Weed A Problem That Comes With Legalization?
There will always be people who choose not to toke up, but that can be tricky for people who live in state-legal cannabis markets.
These days, so many cities are SO cannabis-friendly that it’s hard not to actually be able to smell it wherever you go. That isn’t such a bad thing for most of us, but over half of Americans think that the stench of cannabis is already a problem.
A recent survey conducted by PBS Research together with Civilized, Burson Cohn & Wolfe, and BuzzFeed News found that Americans don’t like encountering the smell of pot, while almost a quarter of them “hate” the smell. For the poll, they surveyed 1,000 adults 21 years of age and older in the United States, and 602 people from Canada.
This is, even though 84% of them are in favor of legalizing it, either for recreational or medical purposes and another 60% say that they report taxing and regulating the cannabis industry. From the American participants, 27% of them said that they were active cannabis users.
There’s also the 18% of Americans who claim to enjoy the smell of cannabis, while 41% said that they either didn’t notice it or didn’t care. A third of current consumers in the United States say that the smell of cannabis in public places is problematic, and 10% say that it’s a serious problem. Among non-consumers in America, 27% believe it’s a major problem and 29% think it’s a minor problem, while 28% said that its “not really a problem” when one walks down the street and 21% said that it wasn’t a problem at all.
On the other hand, in Canada, 57% of them either “dislike” or “hate” the smell of pot in public; a staggering increase compared to 23% of Americans who feel the same way. Sixty percent of Canadians also think that the stench of cannabis is a “real problem”.
Is it an Issue?
The thing is, for people who love weed, its smell isn’t a problem. Cannabis is notorious for its ability to leave traces of strong smells wherever it’s kept or even smoked, which is why so many people are always looking for new ways to disguise the smell of cannabis. In fact, if your pot has a strong smell, then this is usually the sign that you have top-shelf pot.
On the other hand, for people who don’t like cannabis, they do perceive the smell negatively. Is this really one of the problems that comes with legalization? That your city will now smell like pot and follow you in places even if you don’t smoke it, because the rest of your town does? Sure, many of us wouldn’t mind being given the look of death after someone passes us on the street only to encounter the scent of weed. But the law says nothing about it, so how is this issue supposed to be resolved in a diplomatic and peaceful manner?
This situation can be compared to smoking cigarettes; as smokers have designated areas they can smoke, why shouldn’t cannabis tokers also be given the same privilege? I have to say though, that since cannabis isn’t nearly as deadly as tobacco, cannabis should be tolerated in more places except obviously those that are in close proximity to children, schools, and churches.
The issue surrounding cannabis smells is also another justification why consumption spaces in the form of cannabis clubs and social lounges should be more prevalent. It provides users with a safe space to get high with like-minded people, without any discrimination, in a place that is comfortable for everyone. It’s a win-win.
If people are concerned about the passive or secondhand effects of cannabis smoking, there really isn’t much to worry about. Secondhand cannabis smoke is not dangerous at all, nor will it give you any health problems. Besides, if you’re worried about testing positive for THC because you were exposed to it, you’d have to inhale a serious amount of secondhand smoke for several hours for it to give you a positive on a drug test. A 2010 study which analyzed cannabinoid concentrations in urine and blood samples of people after hanging out in an Amsterdam coffee shop for three hours found that while people did indeed absorb some THC, the traces were so minute that they didn’t get high and the THC was only detectable for under 6 hours.
So, what is your take on the issue?
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