You Can Smell Weed Everywhere in New Jersey

With the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey comes a few societal changes. The most obvious of which is the legal marijuana dispensaries sprouting up throughout the state.

There are not a ton of them yet because the application and licensing process of course, with the government of New Jersey, is no simple task. The other reason is that towns and some buildings like the one my family member lives in in Atlantic City, prohibit smoking of any kind.

Condominium buildings, parks and restaurants with outdoor seating are banning smoking outdoors. More and more of this is happening no doubt because of weed. Our condo building has allowed smoking since it opened in 1972.

This year they finally voted to ban it because they don’t want the smell of weed wafting through the hallways or from the balconies.

They don’t want to smell it outside the building by the front door. The same with parks and outdoor restaurants. Cigarette and cigar smoke can be annoying but the smell of weed with a pungent skunk-like odor gives some people the impression of “danger.”

Most of our boardwalks in New Jersey have banned smoking, but that doesn’t stop people from firing up a joint apparently. On one recent Sunday morning bicycle ride on one of our boardwalks, the smell of weed was almost constant.

I think outdoor smoking bans are ridiculous. If I smoke a cigar on the beach, I always take a walk with it, so you barely smell it.

But now that people are firing up joints, those who have some modicum of control say “Enough!"

It used to be if you smelled it before it was legal, you knew you were around someone who didn’t care about breaking the law.

Now that it’s legal, it’s becoming more common than cigarette or cigar smoke but the stigma exists. It stinks and some people think it still represents danger!