Marijuana is legal in Ohio for adults, and this is not a sermon about whether that is good, bad, moral, immoral, medicinal, recreational, or the end of civilization as we know it.
People are using it.
That part is settled.
But legal does not mean invisible. Legal does not mean odorless. Legal does not mean everyone around you signed up to smell it, breathe it, ride in it, or explain it to their kids.
So let’s talk about weediquette.
That’s weed etiquette, for those of you already reaching for the Doritos.
Everybody Can Smell It
First rule: people can smell it.
Yes, even when you think they cannot.
Especially then.
A lot of old-timers will tell you today’s marijuana does not smell like the stuff people remember from their college days. They are not imagining that. Modern cannabis is often stronger, more pungent, and more “skunky” because of higher potency strains and the natural compounds in the plant that create those strong odors.
And that smell sticks.
It sticks to clothes. Hair. Upholstery. Curtains. Cars. Hallways. Apartment buildings. Backpacks. Bedrooms. Jackets. Your couch. Your car seats. Your dog probably knows.
That little tree-shaped air freshener dangling from your mirror may not be doing the heroic work you think it is.
If you smoke, deodorize. Open windows when appropriate. Use air purifiers. Wash clothes. Don’t smoke up someone else’s car. Don’t climb into a friend’s vehicle smelling like you just hotboxed a reggae festival and act shocked when they crack the window in January.
And if you live in an apartment, remember that smells travel. Your neighbors may be getting a secondhand tour of your evening plans through the vents, hallway, walls, or shared entryway.
Some people just hate the smell. Some get headaches. Some get nauseated. Some have asthma or respiratory problems. Some are pregnant. Some are in recovery. Some simply do not want their home smelling like your hobby.
That matters.
Closed smoking systems, better ventilation, edibles, tinctures, or other non-smoking options may be a better choice if you live close to other people.
Again, not a judgment.
Just manners.
You Are Not Secretly Smoking in the Bathroom
Second rule: smoking is smoking.
Other people do not want it in their lungs.
It does not matter whether it came from a cigarette, a cigar, a vape, a joint, or a bowl. Smoke in the lungs is not something everyone else agreed to.
And no, you are not secretly smoking in the bathroom.
We know.
The hallway knows. The towels know. Your hoodie knows. The person walking in after you definitely knows.
Blowing smoke around other people is rude. Blowing smoke toward people is worse. Smoking in shared spaces, near entrances, around kids, in public restrooms, or in someone else’s home without permission is not laid-back. It is inconsiderate.
There is also a practical side.
If you smell like marijuana at work, in court, during a custody exchange, at a job interview, while driving, or when dealing with police, people may assume you are high right now — even if you smoked hours or days earlier and the smell is just trapped in your clothes or vehicle.
Fair? Maybe not.
Real? Absolutely.
If you do not want people making assumptions, do not carry the smell around like a cologne called “Probable Cause.”
Do Not Drive High
Third rule: you are intoxicated.
There is no magic substance that alters mood, perception, reaction time, judgment, or coordination while somehow having no side effects.
If you are using marijuana, treat it like alcohol when it comes to driving.
- Be a passenger.
- Stay home.
- Call a ride.
- DoorDash the snacks.
- Eat peanut butter out of the jar like an adult.
But do not drive because you suddenly need Doritos, pizza rolls, gas station nachos, or one very specific kind of cereal.
Driving high can still get you arrested. It can still get someone hurt. It can still cost you your license, your job, your car, your freedom, or somebody else’s life.
And hotboxing a car with kids inside?
That is not edgy. That is not funny. That is not “just weed.”
That can become a criminal matter fast.
Children cannot consent to sitting in a cloud of smoke because adults made bad decisions in a locked vehicle.
Lock It Up
Fourth rule: keep your stuff away from kids.
Not on the coffee table.
- Not in a purse.
- Not in a nightstand.
- Not in a backpack.
- Not in the glove box.
- Not in a candy bag where a child can mistake it for a treat.
- Lock it up.
Got it?
Edibles are an especially big problem because many look like candy, cookies, gummies, brownies, or snacks. A child does not know the difference between a regular gummy and an adult edible. Pets do not know either.
A kid getting into marijuana is not a “whoops” moment. It can mean a trip to the emergency room, a call to police, a call to Children Services, and a very serious conversation about why an adult substance was left where a child could reach it.
Same goes for pipes, vapes, cartridges, grinders, lighters, residue, and anything else that goes with it.
Legal does not mean leave it lying around.
Alcohol is legal. You still do not hand a toddler a bottle of whiskey and say, “Well, the voters approved it.”
Pot Is Legal. Being a Menace Is Not.
Adults can use marijuana legally in Ohio, but that does not cancel out basic responsibility.
- Do not stink up someone else’s space.
- Do not smoke around people who did not agree to breathe it.
- Do not drive high.
- Do not expose kids to it.
- Do not leave it where children can find it.
- Do not assume everyone else is cool with it because you are.
- That is the whole point of weediquette.
- Use it if you are legally allowed to use it.
- But do not make your weed everybody else’s problem.
