Help with a neighbor issue please.

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Without a fence, that means children can access them.

Even with a fence they could still get to them but at least it would be a deterrent. When I was at the insurance company pools and trampolines had to be behind fences (I think 4 or 5 feet tall maybe taller TBH can't remember) with a locking gate. The only exception that was made was if the HOA or ordinance prohibited a fence more than the required height. Otherwise you were ineligible for coverage (part of why I was wondering how insurance was keeping up with this).

There's also pets (and wildlife) who unknowingly may ingest it.

 

[darnheather]

I live in CO and we've had legalized marijuana for years. However, it must be grown inside and in a locked area.

Looking at the Virginia law, I'm shocked you can grow it outside.

OP, the concern that I have for your neighbor's plants is that they are visible from the streets and that means children can see them. Without a fence, that means children can access them. This is why I would call code enforcement, not because I could see them, but because children can get to the plants. As soon as you say children have access to the plants, code enforcement will be there.

For those who hate the skunk smelling weed, if you have a neighborhood FB page, casually ask those who are partaking to change pot strains so that the neighborhood doesn't smell like skunk. We did that jokingly and our neighbors switched to a tropical-smelling strain.

Thank you for your support. I have no doubt that every teenager in the neighborhood knows about these plants and probably some younger children as well. Word gets around. Again I want to emphasize that I do not care what they grow or smoke. I am actually for legalization. I am concerned about my property value and neighborhood kids.

 

[darnheather]

Boy, I'm glad I live in the middle of nowhere and my neighbors are miles away.

That is exactly what I want to do. Grew up like that and hated it then but now I see all the reasons why my parents chose to live that way.

 

[Marrila]

Thank you for your support. I have no doubt that every teenager in the neighborhood knows about these plants and probably some younger children as well. Word gets around. Again I want to emphasize that I do not care what they grow or smoke. I am actually for legalization. I am concerned about my property value and neighborhood kids.

I think people are pretty touchy these days. I'd always avoid doing anything that could be interpreted as a chide or correction particularly with a neighbor. What seems like a friendly conversation to one side may escalate with the other. Neighbors can make life pretty unpleasant if they want to. It's worth taking time to see if the issue is even around in a year.
You also might ask a realtor for their opinion and what options they might recommend.

 

[JLTraveling]

It's called NIMBY. I think you think I'm making a comment about people themselves, I'm not. Maybe you thought the "good" part of my comment was about qualities of people themselves but that's not it (haven't you seen the threads about neighbors?) You can't claim you have friends who wouldn't have an issue with it in hypotheticals. People are okay with a lot of stuff until they live next to it. And again I was responding to your comment about equals here. To find people who are equally okay with it, well we're not quite there yet. We might get there someday but until then whether any of us have any objection to it the OP has a valid concern over finding someone who is willingly living next to someone with weed plants (be it renting or buying).

Yes, I am very aware of the concept of NIMBY. My city's NextDoor group has a very vocal minority. But considering the people I'm speaking about haven't moved because of any of the other things NIMBY people don't want (homeless encampments, street crime, drunks perched on their stoop at 4am, illegal party buses, illegal street racing, or anything else that comes with either living in or regularly visiting a semi-gentrified inner city), and the majority of them are pot smokers, no I don't believe they'd suddenly become pearl-clutching NIMBYs over weed plants next door.

That's why I asked if you had actual data. Because there are a whole lot of home buyers that you are entirely discounting. And that's why I said I suspect we live in different circles. Because clearly you haven't met them, or at least not as many as I have.

 

[prairie_girl]

Mmmmmmmmkkkkayyyyy, I'll try to remember my alternative reality next time my daughter's room smells like skunkweed after she forgets to close the window while we are away from the house for a few hours. That was a fun smell to try and get out of her Pottery Barn quilt.

Maybe you're used to weaker strains? Or else my neighbors hit stronger buds...

If it smells like skunk, they are smoking the cheapest of the cheap. That stuff smells gross.

Well granted I don't think it would actually cling to things and stick but if I have my crank out window open in our great room or are outside I can tell when the neighbor is doing laundry and we have a good distance between our houses. Some smells just carry through the air. In terms of living next to that be it owning or renting it'd be a nuisance for weed and might impact one's ability to open the windows or be outside.

It's like in my area we live close enough to the city's compost facility for yard waste and trees limbs (where they turn it into free mulch for city residents) most often on cold crisp nights you can smell it. It's not a gross smell (probably because it's not food compost facility) but not entirely pleasant either. But we were aware of that moving in, still though that could impact our ability to sell the house. You can be okay with weed and still get what impacts it can have just like other detractors out there.

I didn’t say they wouldn’t smell it; I said it wouldn’t permeate their house and belongings permanently.

 

[DeeBee3]

Dare I enter this thread?

There is a commercial farm near my town - maybe 5 mile away. (not for selling "pot") Our friends sold their home because they lived in the neighborhood across the street. The smell at certain times of the year was intense. You can smell it on the highway or anywhere within a few miles of the farm. Like when we go to the local park. It's a big, intense smell. Just happened at the kids' soccer games last weekend. All the adults looked around and started laughing.

Now, that's not the same as having a neighbor with a small plant, but I can most definitely vouch that the smell and proximity can affect real estate. Personally, I wouldn't move into a neighborhood anywhere there was a smell. Of any sort - garbage facility, chemical plant, etc.

 

[starlite_]

As I said, I don't care that they are growing them or that they are smoking. I'm not a pearl clu

It isn't about the smoke. The flowers stink now that they are blooming. However, it is about them being in the open. I am currently interning at the county prosecutors' office. If they thought for a minute it was my pot I would be fired and could be in trouble with the American Bar Association when it comes time to do my character and fitness. Why is it wrong to want people to follow the law?

How would a fence make a difference if what bothers you is the smell and how that could get into your clothes???

 

[darnheather]

How would a fence make a difference if what bothers you is the smell and how that could get into your clothes???

Did I say it was the smell? I said it was about the law. Yes, the smell is bothersome, but there is nothing that will fix that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yes, I am very aware of the concept of NIMBY. My city's NextDoor group has a very vocal minority. But considering the people I'm speaking about haven't moved because of any of the other things NIMBY people don't want (homeless encampments, street crime, drunks perched on their stoop at 4am, illegal party buses, illegal street racing, or anything else that comes with either living in or regularly visiting a semi-gentrified inner city), and the majority of them are pot smokers, no I don't believe they'd suddenly become pearl-clutching NIMBYs over weed plants next door.

That's why I asked if you had actual data. Because there are a whole lot of home buyers that you are entirely discounting. And that's why I said I suspect we live in different circles. Because clearly you haven't met them, or at least not as many as I have.

Again we're not talking about circles though. Your acquaintances mean nothing in terms of discussing how equally likely those in the nation would want to live next to xyz. Go back and read the recent thread about pot smoking even those who do smoke have something to say about weed. You're conflating acceptance towards it to living next to it. Even like the poster said who lives in CO with their much more restrictive laws you probably would find more people even just simply unknowing about living next to someone but out in the open changes things. I'll flip the script to you. Prove to me that for every buyer or renter there is detracted from it there is one who isn't as you said there would be but don't just do it with people who say they don't have a problem with it or with your own circle you keep mentioning. What people say they would be fine with usually don't match up IRL and if you're living with NIMBY you don't need me to tell you that. I had said we're not quite there yet in that, I didn't say it didn't exist but not to the level you're saying. Pretty sure the laws support that given that many states still have rules regarding when and where you can smoke and most definitely towards regulation on home growing.

I'm not in a location that has good signal so I probably won't be able to respond much after this

 

[starlite_]

Did I say it was the smell? I said it was about the law. Yes, the smell is bothersome, but there is nothing that will fix that.

The post I quoted made it seem like what worries you is the possibility that someone at your work might think it is your weed. The only way that could happen is if they smell it on you. Unless your work is doing house inspections of employees??

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Unless your work is doing house inspections of employees??

Well, these are lawyers we're talking about. Anything is possible! (Just kidding around, OP!)

 

[Robbie Cottam]

This entire post is a very simple concept of code enforcement.

The OP reports that code in her town requires the neighbor to have a fence if they want to grow pot.
If that is true, and the neighbor has no fence, they are in violation of the code.

It is not legal, pure and simple!
The neighbor's sub-standard condition needs to be corrected at their expense.

It would be no different than someone building a gas station in their backyard without a permit,
Or open a hog farm in the bag yard when the area is not zoned.

How many of you want to let the neighbor build a hog farm?

 

[Lord Manhammer]

This entire post is a very simple concept of code enforcement.

The OP reports that code in her town requires the neighbor to have a fence if they want to grow pot.
If that is true, and the neighbor has no fence, they are in violation of the code.

It is not legal, pure and simple!
The neighbor's sub-standard condition needs to be corrected at their expense.

It would be no different than someone building a gas station in their backyard without a permit,
Or open a hog farm in the bag yard when the area is not zoned.

How many of you want to let the neighbor build a hog farm?

Pigs are actually quite intelligent creatures.

 

[john7994]

This entire post is a very simple concept of code enforcement.

The OP reports that code in her town requires the neighbor to have a fence if they want to grow pot.
If that is true, and the neighbor has no fence, they are in violation of the code.

It is not legal, pure and simple!
The neighbor's sub-standard condition needs to be corrected at their expense.

It would be no different than someone building a gas station in their backyard without a permit,
Or open a hog farm in the bag yard when the area is not zoned.

How many of you want to let the neighbor build a hog farm?

My neighbor built a chicken coop in their backyard - I am glad they finally moved - they weren’t very nice people either.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Pigs are actually quite intelligent creatures.

True they are
But they smell like ****

 

[mjkacmom]

How in the world are these plants going to survive during the winter anyway? Doesn’t the temperature get below 60 degrees?

 

[Robbie Cottam]

How in the world are these plants going to survive during the winter anyway? Doesn’t the temperature get below 60 degrees?

Most weeds will survive a fire or nuclear winter.

In fact, if you ever burn in your back yard, weeds are the first thing to grow back.

I would bet these will be no different.

 

[starlite_]

How in the world are these plants going to survive during the winter anyway? Doesn’t the temperature get below 60 degrees?

They don't. The plant dies after it's harvested and that is normally during fall.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Most weeds will survive a fire or nuclear winter.

In fact, if you ever burn in your back yard, weeds are the first thing to grow back.

I would bet these will be no different.

Growing weed is certainly possible in cooler climates, but some extra steps need to be taken to make sure the plant will grow properly. Not that I'd have any experience with this.