Hey Josh, My roomie smokes pot
Hey Josh,
I’m a college student who just moved into a really sweet new apartment halfway through the school year. I love it here, I have my own room and bathroom, and it’s nice to have a kitchen again. My only problem is one of the guys I’m living with likes to smoke marijuana. The smell goes through the ventilation and into my bathroom, it makes me nauseous, but apparently is doesn’t bother any of the other guys. I am completely at a loss for a good course of action. How do I deal with it without making it confrontational or awkward for everyone else?
-some dude with the smokey bathroom
—-
Dearest Smokey,
First of all I think your forest fire prevention thing is quite commendable.
Second, you have a right to say something to him. By him I mean your blaze-a-bowl roomie.
Its your apartment too bro.
You are paying half the rent.
You are providing delicious snacks for the fridge (which I’m sure he eats more than his fair share of)
You mow the yard in the summer, blah blah blah.
If you don’t wanna make it awkward, phase one attack, send him an email.
“If you wanna smoke weed, that’s your decision, but please don’t smoke it in our apartment. It stinks up the place, and its illegal. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I’d appreciate it if you could smoke somewhere else. We can talk about this if you want. Thanks”
Something like that. Hopefully he will be receptive. And hopefully he will buy his own bag of flaming hot Cheetos.
In your face, but on your side.
// josh
Hey You: What would YOU say to your roomie?
2 Comments
Josh, got to disagree with you on this one a bit. Taking the non-confrontational email doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. Every time I’ve seen somebody in college try to deal with a problem that way, it has led to a loss of respect towards the note-writer, and not a solution of the problem.
I think that the best way to solve the problem would be to confront the roommate when it is actually a problem (i.e. when that skunk smell starts coming through the vent into smokey’s room). That way the roommate will not be able to claim that “it can’t be that bad”, or anything of the sort.
Smokey, if the smell makes it so that you are unable to study or focus or makes you uncomftorable, you definitely need to solve it. You are in college, and that needs to be your first priority. Remind everybody that you with that that is the reason that you are there, and that needs to come first.
Oh, and don’t let anybody tell you that there is nowhere else to smoke than in his room. My own roommate (we live in the dorms on campus) is pretty much always high, but never smokes in our room. He either walks out to the nearby forest, or to his car. Your roommate can go outback, to his car, to a friend’s house, wherever. He’ll get over it.
Interesting comment, I have to say I agree with Eodell. It does appear to be a serious enough situation where confrontation MUST not be avoided. There, I said it. The long C word even grown ups hate to use. But if we forget how to to that “c” thing, we’ll end up with a no spine community that cannot stand tall. Pride is not a bad thing until it becomes the only thing. Stand up for yourself and say “I have a desire to succeed and I need to be able to focus on my education, not my environment. Thank you for your respect in this matter. The end.”
(or something like that.) And you will gain more respect than from an email(which may be effective in other situations.
Peace for whatever you choose, Mona at SPC in VT