cjboffoli
I think it is always the best solution to try to communicate and work with a neighbor. A handshake over the fence is absolutely the best way to remedy a problem. But unfortunately, there are some unreasonable people in the world. And what is one supposed to do when a neighbor refuses to work with you, even when you’ve done your best to be patient and diplomatic?
I think the suggestions to put a fan in the window are ridiculous. A person should have the right to be able to use a window to ventilate their own house without the constant threat of having the inside of your house filled with carcinogenic cigarette smoke. Keeping very harmful smoke away from non-smokers should be the priority. That smokers don’t have enough places to smoke is a bit farther down the list of priorities. Tens of thousands of non-smokers die every year in the US from exposure to cigarette smoke. I’ve not heard of any smokers dying because they were simply asked to move a bit farther from their neighbor’s windows.
And GenHillOne, talk about a slippery slope: “It’s their yard.” C’mon, REALLY? What does that mean? That because it is your yard you should be able to do anything you want there without any consideration of the neighbors who live ten feet away from you? I think that’s a selfish and antisocial stance. I’m well aware of my rights. But those rights come with responsibilities which include balancing what makes me happy with consideration for my neighbors.
That’s really a red herring anyway though as WSeaFam2 isn’t really talking about what is happening in his neighbor’s yard. The issue is that the smoke is migrating across the property line. That’s the textbook definition of a nuisance. King County has made it illegal for people to smoke outside at bus stops. And it is against State law for people to smoke in public places, which includes people who live in public housing. As a private homeowner and taxpayer why shouldn’t I have some recourse when a neighbor’s smoke is coming inside my house?
If my neighbor wants to smoke in his yard, that’s his choice. But I want to have a choice to not have to breathe his smoke inside my house. It is as simple as that. The 70’s were over a long time ago. The EPA classifies cigarette smoke a “Group A” carcinogen, in the same category as benzene and asbestos. Just as you should not pollute your neighbor’s yard with little clouds of asbestos, smokers need to act responsibly around the non-smokers down wind of their effluent.