I think it will go the way of cigarette smoke once full legalization is achieved nationwide. You'll get a whiff occasionally, but as the novelty wears off, most people will smoke indoors in the comfort of their own homes. I think weed inhibits some motor functions too much for it to become commonplace in work places or in public areas like cigarettes were.

There are also vapes, which don't have any of the smell, and coincidentally are much more convenient to smoke in public, likely for that very reason.

I live in a large apartment building. Every once in a while, I'll walk outside my door into the shared indoor hallway and get a whiff of something. This is rare, though if I was a betting man, I would bet that of everyone on my floor, someone is likely smoking every day. Some days it's stronger, other days it's faint. I can't smell it in my apartment at all, and it doesn't seem to linger as long as the area is well ventilated.

Would I prefer it didn't smell? Yes. But, it's not much different than when some other neighbor decides to smoke a brisket on their balcony. It's just a different smell. And for the record, I also don't like the smell of weed.

> the smell is horrific

Okay. How do you feel about ciggies, cigars and pipe? That also smells horrendous? Or car exhaust fumes?

The thing here is: you can be against something because it will be "yet another annoying thing"... But that ignores the freedom aspect: if behavior X is less-than-or-equally annoying (unhealthy, addictive, etc.) compared to Y, and Y is legal, then that is a good argument that X should be legal too. If not we get into "unfair discrimination against behavior X" territory.

Or you make Y illegal as well. Smoking is all but illegal today in Sweden, they banned smoking in restaurants 16 years ago and has since extended that ban to most public places.

Smoking weed in your home is already all but legal in Sweden. In the super unlikely case you get caught you pay a small fine and is free to go, the people I know who smoke weed aren't worried about the Police, more annoyed than anything. And regular tobacco smoking has mostly disappeared since it has became so inconvenient.

You mentioned tobacco, which is recently saw laws made against it in Sweden.

I then also take the approach in what laws should then be remove in order not to unfairly "discriminate against certain behavior" (which is sadly so common nowadays).

I guess a reasonable default would be to only allow it in the same places that cigarette smoking is currently allowed.

That’s what already has happened

I live in Canada on a busy urban street, and I don't smell it any more often than I did before it was legalized here. (It might help that our smoking laws disallow smoking anything near building entrances.)

Smoking cigarettes is legal but I don't see people smoking in public that often. Besides, most people smoke weed at home so I think the concern, while valid, is overblown.

Weed has a much stronger smell than cigarette; I can easily smell my neighbor's weed when I walk on the sidewalk, even though they are smoking inside, and there are about 10 meters from their house to the sidewalk.

That said, I still support the legalization. As much as I find weed's smell revolting and disgusting, the freedom simply outweighs the concern.

Weed smell dissipates way faster in my experience since it doesn't tend to cling as well to fabrics. You smoke a bong in your apartment with the window open, an hour later someone can walk into the room and probably couldn't tell. You smoke one cigarette inside and everything from your clothes to furniture reeks for weeks.

It’s extremely available already so there’s not a big market that’s just waiting for it to be legal and it’s not really an issue in states where it’s legal and easily accessible. Legal weed also enables manufacturing smokeless versions at scale. Edibles and vapes are basically odorless and very popular

I actually like the smell - depends to some degree on the strain, but it generally it reminds me of pine and juniper.

Also, isn't vaping more popular than smoking these days? When vaping, the smell is greatly reduced, and dissipates in seconds.

Smoking could be still illegal, but vaping doesn't smell - at least the smell don't stay.

Cannabis can also be processed so that the smell is minimal (some medical varieties get such treatment)

In Oregon where it's recreationally legal it isn't an issue. You'll catch a whiff of it here and there but it's far from common.

We have ICE cars clogging up our cities. I don't think this is a valid argument when looked at in this context.

Yes, people should go to jail so you don't have to smell things you don't like.

Unbelievable.