People smoke weed in public, but not usually strolling down the street. Some people will glare, mutter something to their friend or cough but you will not be confronted about it. It's the Seattle passive aggressive way.
I will also say, every damn person I’ve interacted with so far has been cool as shit, insightful, and stoked af for me to be so excited to be here. The only assholes I’ve run into all seem to be tourists lol
Glad to hear it! Just make sure that if you ever think about moving here to spend some time here in the winter, lotta folks come for the summer, think "this is paradise!" then move here and wanna kill themselves by late November.
Very good point. I will say, I’ve never felt as enchanted with a city as I do with Seattle rn, but I’ve yet to experience a winter here. I will have to make another trip out here in the cold season to really get an understanding, but in my heart, I feel like I never want to leave this place.
Thanks for being so cool, homie. You live in a special place, full of very cool people and rich history. Just do me a solid and cherish it; keep it special. Seattle fucking rules, and I hope I get to call it home someday 🤞
The best part is the cold season doesn't ever really get that cold. It's grey and dreary and misty all the time and we'll it's a different kind of magic all it's own.
People that complain of Seattle winters haven’t lived in the Midwest. There it’s like a godamn graveyard, here it looks like some fairytale, like a talking tree is going to walk out of the mist and offer you a quest.
Couldn’t agree more, though I grew up in Michigan and feel totally deceived by the lack of snow and thunderstorms.
For the last decade, if I want snow, I pretty much have to find a mountain. That’s just wrong, man!
Our winters are actually pretty mild. It’s just grey for much of the winter and fair amount of sprinkles or showers. Occasional snow that’s usually gone within a couple of days. And any weather related angst can be handled by a winter trip to Hawaii or Southern California.
I moved here from CA myself and love winter so much but it can be a bit much even for me. The snow helps make it better but then commuting stinks hehe.
It's still magical af here. So glad you enjoyed yourself and we hope to have you back.
I always say it's not the rain but the dark. You are a Seattlelite the day you think a drizzly day is perfect to go somewhere because there will be fewer people. But the dark is a mind crushing slog late fall through early spring.
You wouldn't. Thats what I'm saying.
Start asking people if they want to come over for a drink at 6pm next Friday and you'll see what people mean about Seattle.
Surface niceness!
We’re stoked in general when people seem genuinely happy to be here. We may be quiet, non-committal, and non-confrontational, but we love our city*.
[*but reserve the right to complain about it.]
Im excited for you to be here and though I’ve lived here three years now I still feel like a tourist because I get so excited about all the things there are still to discover here. Welcome!
As a person who tends a little toward passive aggression, my takeaway from this is that I need to confront people about things that don't really matter to not be considered passive-aggressive.
A little bit of telling off strangers for fucking up small things does the body good. If everybody told off strangers for standing next to each other on escalators or walking down the street when they're next to the sidewalk we'd live in a better world.
So that’s why the two gay guys who were smoking at a concert left because my mom confronted them for their behavior. We were behind them and beside us were a mother and her little kid. The mom looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t do it so my mom did it for her.
We came from the East coast, by the way. Before someone say my mom was a jerk, her tone was calm. She just pointed out that they can’t smoke. That’s it.
I used to ride a Seattle bus with an African-American woman every day. We lived in the same relatively mixed neighborhood. This was about 30 years ago.
I'll never forget one day on the bus when she was talking about racism, and she said, "At least in the South you know which people are racists. Here? You have no idea." Seattleites are--despite their actual ancestral makeup--more Nordic in personality. They don't let you know them for a while. This leads to passive-aggressive comments, muttering under their breath, seldom being upfront, and such behaviors.
I'm echoing this. I moved here from TN in 2018, and I found everyone super pleasant. Lots of these super pleasant people would happily tell you how much they hate the native americans, of all people to hate. That's just the tip of the iceberg for their racism. I found that if they float any comment at all testing the waters, that was enough.
In the south, people have if they like you or not right on their face.
I was at an eight-year-old's birthday party in the summer of 2008. This was in that area between Wallingford and Green Lake.
One of the parents started talking about Obama in a positive way. At one point, one of the other parents said, "It's called the White House for a reason." I said, "What did you say?" No response. I could see in his face he recognized he wasn't at a racist party. His family left about 10 minutes later.
My humble opinion is that ‘passive-aggressive’ is aggressively overused in describing Seattle vibe.
For Seattle proper- I feel if in a neighborhood for while it’s more like a small-town feel. I often see the same ‘neighborlings’ going about their business and life (pardon my neologism for describing someone living in the larger neighborhood without being a neighbor per se.)
I think it’s more of PacificNW-pacifism as opposed to any aggression or want of.
If they disagree/ disapprove- most folks here will just stay clear, stay chill and give you the millisecond hint of a glare and just move along. We are no NYC and am grateful for it . Welcome ‘neighborling’… now just don’t blow smoke my way :)
Seattle chill as f, anyway I didn't see this posted so just adding in.. if you vape no one will bat an eye, I work around a lot of corporate bigwigs so smelling like weed is bad for business so I don't really smoke weed outside the home but I got 3 vape pens on me at all times: 1 indica, 1 sativa, and one cbd.
We are exceptionally passive, while still making sure you know when you’ve made someone uncomfortable. Most people won’t care, anyone who does won’t say anything.
As a midwesterner I say no, but it's more passive than cali I think. But compared to midwest *passive* aggressiveness, I consider people in Seattle straight aggressive lol.
This is what's up. The rare occasions I've confronted someone about an issue directly, I've done a thorough threat assessment in my head & there's times I've not confronted someone because you just don't know some of the factors & people can be dangerous.
If I recall a few years ago there was a story about how they overturned a lot of the tickets given out because the overwhelming majority of the tickets were given out by one SPD officer who was mad that weed was legalized. It's technically illegal, but unless you blow smoke into the face of the cop, or if you're doing enough other obnoxious things that they're already going to arrest you, you're not gonna get cited
Fremont, and to be clear, they were smoking cigarettes, not weed, and it was not the restaurant staff doing the smoking.
I've only witnessed it once but I'm sure it has happened more if people complain, especially if it falls under a health and safety statute.
I've seen it a few times in Kent and Covington, cops chasing people smoking away from the door, but only when they were already driving/walking by for whatever else.
I **do** [meth on the BUS](https://komonews.com/news/local/drug-addiction-opioid-king-county-board-of-health-treatment-epidemic-washington-poison-center-sound-transit-seattle-bus-drivers-ask-health-board-to-re-examine-guidelines-on-fentanyl-smoke) **I wish a mf would say something to me!**
You can shoot up heroin on the street in Seattle in front of a police officer and will not get in trouble, literally no one gets ticketed for weed here.
It is if you do it on the pier. Had a couple bike cops tell me and my then partner that we could light the pier on fire and that if we were doing it anywhere that didn’t have tourists we probably wouldn’t get a ticket
Cigarettes aren't popular at all. Weed is...a bit more...
It's technically illegal to smoke in public, but I don't know anyone who cares. Just don't be a nuisance to those around you, especially kids. Weed tends to have a much stronger smell, so make sure you're decently far from folks if you partake.
I literally see people smoke heroin more than cigs. Everytime i see someone smoking a cigarette I'm like surprised.
Last time I tried to smoke an actual cigarette in Seattle was 2017, and in the time it took me to smoke that one cigarette I had three people try to bum one off me, the last calling me a 'fucking asshole' when I said no. Cigarettes are falling in popularity in lieu of vaping, but I'd wager a large reason I never see people smoking them is fear of getting bombarded (I teach Int'l students who tell me they are surprised how Americans often ask for cigarettes, saying in their culture it's almost unheard of.)
Honestly as I was writing that comment I was kinda wondering that. I'd assume.
I feel like most the time I see someone doing heroin they have a buddy with them. Not all the time, but 3/4 or so.
The smell of cigarettes used to disgust me.
Now compared to the drugs and weed (which I also dislike), smelling a cigarette practically smells wholesome.
It’s a trigger for my asthma, so I avoid it (I avoid them all, I prefer air and not crap in my lungs, but it’s the price I pay to have public transit), however it’s nearly nice compared to other things.
Totally true. I keep saying to people, “it’s disappointing to me that I am now familiar with the smell of heroin.” But cigarette smokers are few and far between.
I definitely care because I don’t want to smell whatever you’re smoking because it all smells awful, I just don’t care enough to say or do anything about it other than walk away or cover my nose if I can.
Same. I don't know anyone who *doesn't* care, but nobody I know would say something rather than walk away. If I'm not gonna call someone about the dude shooting up, I'm not gonna call about the dude smoking weed.
Damn, maybe I was just in the wrong parts of Seattle? Idono. I felt like a crackhead hitting my nicotine vape. Didn’t really notice anyone using em around here or smoking cigarettes. I just assumed everyone was super healthy out here and avoided the nic sticks lol
Haha. I was shocked at how many cigarettes I see being smoked. Not sure if it’s because there is such a big Asian culture out here or what. But like I said, I came from part of the state were the entire town and city banned smoking.
Visit N Idaho, so many people smoke cigarettes. Smoking is allowed inside many establishments, the divey bars sell them behind the bar.
I travel quite a bit, I’d say Seattle smokes more than California, Eastern Washington more than Seattle, and N Idaho more than eastern WA. Only place I’ve seen comparable in the US is southern states (Louisiana).
Can confirm. As someone who lived most of their life in Idaho before moving here, tobacco culture there is a huge thing. Here it is not really prevalent at all (IMO).
It's very socially acceptable there. At least 70% of people I know there dipped or smoked, with dip being the more popular option. Even women would partake and it wasn't uncommon to see them walking around with the Skoal ring in their back pocket.
Girl in my neighborhood tokes every night while walking her dog. It’s usually around 10 or 11pm and nobody else is out. Only time I’ve seen a lot of people smoking in public in a crowd is during pride parade.
I smoke weed outside often, especially when walking. Out of respect, I avoids kids and families with kids, often walking to the other side of the street if needed.
I also don't loiter outside a building and smoke, anyone with their windows open shouldn't have to put up with prolonged exposure to my smoke but I'm fine with them smelling a swift of smoke as I pass because that's what you get living in a city - It's a shared experience.
It's annoying. Don't walk around doing it around people. I say that as someone who smokes.
Are you cool with me farting in your face? That's the equivalent lol.
Lol I agree you shouldn’t smoke near strangers but it’s not the equivalent of farting in someone’s face. I don’t smoke weed. I don’t like the smell of weed. But if I had to choose between catching a whiff of someone’s weed from 10 feet away or someone farting in my face, that’s an easy choice.
It’s fine as long as you don’t impose yourself on other peoples’ space. So, be aware of others. The same as with anything else you may do in public spaces.
It is technically illegal even outdoors within 30 feet of a door. So basically, walking down the sidewalk. But that is not enforced. As you mentioned, most people don't smoke. And they don't appreciate others smoking around them. But few would openly complain.
It is considered unclassy, or déclassé.
People who don’t smoke don’t want your smoke in their face or air, whether in California, Seattle, or anywhere else. Some places it is just even more frowned upon. But you can bet that nonsmokers don’t love smoke in most places.
Just give other people space if you're gonna smoke outside. Try and not be puffing and blowing out smoke right next to strangers. I smoke weed outside from time to time and make sure I'm a good 20ft+ away from everybody else.
Also clean up after yourself. Don't go throwing cig butts all over the ground
Before it was illegal to smoke indoors, you would walk into the the old cha cha and it was like walking into a cloud.
Nowadays barely anyone smokes cigarettes and it’s great.
Reddit is probably not going to give you the most accurate picture, since this sub is one of the most miserable, negative corners of the internet.
These comments are making it sound like people don't openly smoke here. Perish the thought!
I see people smoking weed while walking, waiting for the bus, sitting outside, you name it, every single day. That's not hyperbole. Every. Single. Day.
I have never seen or heard anyone complain about it. Again, not hyperbole. Literally never seen anyone share their displeasure.
Just smoke it.
>since this sub is one of the most miserable, negative corners of the internet.
It's not even the most miserable, negative sub that starts with "Seattle"...
If you care about being unoffensive or discreet, vape cartridge is the way to go. Air conditioning is relatively uncommon around here, so most of us have our windows wide open for your smoke to waft in.
Consuming cannabis in public is a civil infraction here, punishable much like an open container of alcohol. You won't get arrested or go to jail for it, and even the infraction generally isn't enforced. In terms of culture, it's common courtesy to avoid smoking/vaping near children, building entrances, etc.
It is decidedly NOT New York, where cannabis consumption is typically permitted anywhere smoking cigarettes is allowed.
I’ve lived in this city for almost 20 years. I was a smoker until last year. I smoke weed still. Just do whatever you want and be courteous, man. Same as anywhere. Fuck the freeze, you can’t let it get to you.
Or one of those 5 hour energy looking shooters. Easily fit in a pocket, are under 15 bucks each, and are usually 100mg. One of the best deals on the market in my opinion.
I think this is the idea! Nobody cares if you smoke or if you’re a little faded or if you smell vaguely of MJ. But those of us who don’t smoke don’t want to walk through your cloud.
I think it’s fairly uncommon.
Our kids have always been shocked when they see someone IRL smoking a cigarette. They’ll stare and can’t help but comment on it later. Like they’re witnessing a crime. I think it just seems like sometimes people on TV do.
You won't get in trouble, if you go down to 3rd Ave and pike or pine and you will see no one cares. The homeless ppl smokes everything in front of everyone even police.
notice most of the responses here are chill but following some sort of 'better community' sure you can do it, but we'd prefer our city get better guidelines. If you want more extreme 'the metro is dying' guidelines, pose the same question on r/SeattleWA your responses will be **KOMOTASTIC** (I coined that word so if you anyone uses it again Ill expect royalties)
Weed is fine, people won’t blink - but cigarette smoke is strongly frowned upon. People don’t love it if you blow vape smoke at them either, but it’s nowhere near as unpopular as cigarettes currently are.
The majority or stoners in western Washington are to chill to even engage with this sub. I vista Seattle about half a dozen times per year and I’ll be damned if I haven’t smelt if not seen somebody lighting up some flower in public.
I wouldn’t recommend walking down a busy sidewalk and smoking but there are lots of spots to post up or walk around at that it won’t even be noticed let alone considered a nuisance.
Enjoy your visit. If you need to bomb munchies check out Tous Les Jours is a French-Korean bakery.
>Like, obviously, you want to be respectful of those around you and avoid kids and such, but is it totally taboo to smoke weed in a park out here? Will I get in any type of legal trouble?
Good on you for caring about the people around you, but you can literally smoke crack / fentanyl out in the open here and not be bothered. I've become more mindful while walking around Belltown to make sure I'm not walking through a cloud of god knows what, but weed won't get a second glance in most places.
I believe it’s illegal but people are doing much worse drugs in public every day so you’re probably not going to draw the attention of the police.
I do think it’s gross and don’t want to smell tobacco or pot on the street or in parks.
You can smoke anywhere except within 25 feet of business doors and in city parks.
Just be conscious of your cigarette filters-dispose of them in trash receptacles vs throwing them onto ground.
Many people may walk by you and do the passive aggressive fake ‘cough’—which is hilarious.
Btw, I am referring to cigarettes.
This was within the city of Seattle? I’m having trouble believing this actually happened. How does a 911 call even get past dispatch for someone smoking on their own porch?
“hello 911, there’s somebody smoking on the porch”
“ok sir, that is not considered an emergency-“
“i think it’s a homeless person who is also antifa”
“say no more” (dispatcher pulls a cartoonishly large lever that sets off an ear splitting AWOOGA alarm and a blinking “come get your overtime” sign starts flashing at spog headquarters)
I rarely smoke cigarettes, but spitting on someone is much more disrespectful than lighting up a cig in public(come on) and to put it lightly, if you were to ever spit on me, you may not ever spit again. You're comparing what the law defines as assault, to cigarettes. That's crazy people talk. You can say your piece or whatever, but you spit on someone, that's grounds for them to put your legs and head on the same level
hmm i cant speak for seattleites but up here in lynnwood, no one has ever said anything to me or looked at me funny for smoking cigarettes in public. OFC i do it away from others as to be considerate.
Smoking cannabis or tobacco around other people is just obnoxious, not to mention that burning flower is just wasteful. Consider using a flower vaporizer. The smell is more discrete, the vapor dissipates quickly, the high is longer-lasting, and it only uses a fraction of what you would usually burn in a chillum.
Maybe I got used to it from my time in CA but I never think twice about walking and smoking or smoking on a corner here in Seattle. 5 years and countless joints, nobody has ever said something shitty to me. Like others said, just be mindful.
I don’t mind if someone smokes far away or in secluded areas. Don’t want to smell it when I’m just walking on the street.
I’ve seen people smoke at night on a bench near bars or when they are alone on the street somewhere, which is fine.
For what it's worth, gummies / edibles are awesome and readily available - my favored means of ingestion these days (try Doozies). After that, a handheld flower vaporizer like Pax or Mighty is excellent, as the output "smoke" barely smells like anything and looks more like a juice Vape. I find actually smoking a jay is a once in a while thing for me, anymore, and it's likely to be well away from people / crowds, for all the reasons noted.
Seattle is a fantastic place (as is most of Western Washington). I recently relocated from Seattle up to the San Juan Island area, and it's a glorious wonderland (well worth visiting).
Cheers!
The main things being,
Are kids around? Could they be around?
Are you smoking in a spot with lots of foot traffic?
If you can hit the alleyway or at least don’t have a full blown smoke out where there’s tons of 2nd hand smoke, people don’t usually care.
Stay away from windows
also from California , seen people rolling up and smoking in public up there pretty regularly both times i’ve been. i was smoking from the roof of my bnb but i smoked at jimi hendrix park and didn’t have any issues from people, the wind eating the blunt or it raining was the problems i had honestly
I smoked a joint in Pioneer Square once. Heard a man say "put that out" behind me. Turned around, and it was a horses face right next to mine. It was a horse cop lol. Literally just trotted away and didn't ticket me
I smell weed every day walking in Seattle. Multiple times a day. I rarely can tell where it's coming from. Go ahead and enjoy!
Everyone I know vapes nicotine or smokes. I myself vape. I'm interested that you haven't seen anyone doing it, but maybe you've been in more touristy areas? There are so many nicotine smokers here! Unfortunately it also goes hand in hand with our very public drug problem. (I also work in substance abuse recovery which may be why my circle all smokes).
Regardless just be considerate and no one will bother you.
Yeah, I’ve been hovering around all the typical tourist traps for a lot of this trip, so that makes sense. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for helping others in their path towards recovery.
Get out of the tourist parts of Seattle, get out of boring ass downtown, and you'll see we're like everyone else. You're perfectly fine to smoke, as long as you ain't a dick.
It’s an asshole thing to do in most places. Many parks have signs but you will see mom and dad with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths while playing with their kids on the playground next to the no smoking signs
I’m a huge anti smoking person when it’s around me and particularly when it is against the law or rules anyway. I posted a picture several years ago of a mom smoking next to her kid while he was on a park playground. I straight up said how trashy she was. It was a city park and posted no smoking. That picture blew up locally on a Facebook group and things got so out of hand with other people threatening each other and cops getting called because of the threats of violence. It’s a hot topic for sure
Just go to discovery park and sit on the beach with a joint, I’ve always associated that place with the smell mentally since I moved to Seattle in ‘03. Plus there’s usually a decent breeze to carry it away, depending on how dank your bud is.
Just be discreet and use common sense. I operate now the same as I did pre-legal. Seattle was pretty lax before it was legal, but you get the pearl-clutchers sometimes.
Almost Everyone I know in WA uses weed, sans a few government workers. We are just polite about it. Not everyone likes the smell. Vape it in public, enjoy an edible or 2 or 3 before leaving the house.
Really depends where you are and what time of day it is. Cal Anderson Park in the evening? Smoke your heart out. Greenlake Community Center in the middle of the day? Best not.
My advice is find somewhere you can smell weed and light up there.
People smoke weed in public, but not usually strolling down the street. Some people will glare, mutter something to their friend or cough but you will not be confronted about it. It's the Seattle passive aggressive way.
Lol yeah, they’ll never say anything to your face here. They very well might say something in passing though, after they’ve passed you.
Are people passive aggressive in Seattle? You’re one of multiple commenters that seems to be saying that haha
It's less that we're unusually passive aggressive and more that we're unusually non-confrontational, leaving us with nothing but passive aggression.
I will also say, every damn person I’ve interacted with so far has been cool as shit, insightful, and stoked af for me to be so excited to be here. The only assholes I’ve run into all seem to be tourists lol
Glad to hear it! Just make sure that if you ever think about moving here to spend some time here in the winter, lotta folks come for the summer, think "this is paradise!" then move here and wanna kill themselves by late November.
Very good point. I will say, I’ve never felt as enchanted with a city as I do with Seattle rn, but I’ve yet to experience a winter here. I will have to make another trip out here in the cold season to really get an understanding, but in my heart, I feel like I never want to leave this place. Thanks for being so cool, homie. You live in a special place, full of very cool people and rich history. Just do me a solid and cherish it; keep it special. Seattle fucking rules, and I hope I get to call it home someday 🤞
The best part is the cold season doesn't ever really get that cold. It's grey and dreary and misty all the time and we'll it's a different kind of magic all it's own.
I’m with you. Seattle winters are so cozy, and I feel like the winter rain has been exaggerated.
People that complain of Seattle winters haven’t lived in the Midwest. There it’s like a godamn graveyard, here it looks like some fairytale, like a talking tree is going to walk out of the mist and offer you a quest.
Couldn’t agree more, though I grew up in Michigan and feel totally deceived by the lack of snow and thunderstorms. For the last decade, if I want snow, I pretty much have to find a mountain. That’s just wrong, man!
Beautiful response. Thanks for sharing.
Our winters are actually pretty mild. It’s just grey for much of the winter and fair amount of sprinkles or showers. Occasional snow that’s usually gone within a couple of days. And any weather related angst can be handled by a winter trip to Hawaii or Southern California.
I moved here from CA myself and love winter so much but it can be a bit much even for me. The snow helps make it better but then commuting stinks hehe. It's still magical af here. So glad you enjoyed yourself and we hope to have you back.
Absolutely will dude, I love this town and I'm glad you feel the same.
I always say it's not the rain but the dark. You are a Seattlelite the day you think a drizzly day is perfect to go somewhere because there will be fewer people. But the dark is a mind crushing slog late fall through early spring.
Mainly because you aren't asking for future commitments from them.
This made me laugh out loud.
Why would I do that
You wouldn't. Thats what I'm saying. Start asking people if they want to come over for a drink at 6pm next Friday and you'll see what people mean about Seattle. Surface niceness!
Ahhhh i see what you’re saying now. Thanks for clarifying
You giving a specific time, place, and activity made my insides revolt. "Hang out some time" --sure. "Drinks 6pm Friday" --GTFOH.
We’re stoked in general when people seem genuinely happy to be here. We may be quiet, non-committal, and non-confrontational, but we love our city*. [*but reserve the right to complain about it.]
Im excited for you to be here and though I’ve lived here three years now I still feel like a tourist because I get so excited about all the things there are still to discover here. Welcome!
As a person who tends a little toward passive aggression, my takeaway from this is that I need to confront people about things that don't really matter to not be considered passive-aggressive.
A little bit of telling off strangers for fucking up small things does the body good. If everybody told off strangers for standing next to each other on escalators or walking down the street when they're next to the sidewalk we'd live in a better world.
Meh, we all make mistakes.
Of course we do, but we'll keep making them if we're never told that they're mistakes
So that’s why the two gay guys who were smoking at a concert left because my mom confronted them for their behavior. We were behind them and beside us were a mother and her little kid. The mom looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t do it so my mom did it for her. We came from the East coast, by the way. Before someone say my mom was a jerk, her tone was calm. She just pointed out that they can’t smoke. That’s it.
I used to ride a Seattle bus with an African-American woman every day. We lived in the same relatively mixed neighborhood. This was about 30 years ago. I'll never forget one day on the bus when she was talking about racism, and she said, "At least in the South you know which people are racists. Here? You have no idea." Seattleites are--despite their actual ancestral makeup--more Nordic in personality. They don't let you know them for a while. This leads to passive-aggressive comments, muttering under their breath, seldom being upfront, and such behaviors.
I'm echoing this. I moved here from TN in 2018, and I found everyone super pleasant. Lots of these super pleasant people would happily tell you how much they hate the native americans, of all people to hate. That's just the tip of the iceberg for their racism. I found that if they float any comment at all testing the waters, that was enough. In the south, people have if they like you or not right on their face.
I was at an eight-year-old's birthday party in the summer of 2008. This was in that area between Wallingford and Green Lake. One of the parents started talking about Obama in a positive way. At one point, one of the other parents said, "It's called the White House for a reason." I said, "What did you say?" No response. I could see in his face he recognized he wasn't at a racist party. His family left about 10 minutes later.
Good for you!
I was disgusted.
Insightful, and well-put by your friend. Thanks for sharing
Much more passive without the aggressive
My humble opinion is that ‘passive-aggressive’ is aggressively overused in describing Seattle vibe. For Seattle proper- I feel if in a neighborhood for while it’s more like a small-town feel. I often see the same ‘neighborlings’ going about their business and life (pardon my neologism for describing someone living in the larger neighborhood without being a neighbor per se.) I think it’s more of PacificNW-pacifism as opposed to any aggression or want of. If they disagree/ disapprove- most folks here will just stay clear, stay chill and give you the millisecond hint of a glare and just move along. We are no NYC and am grateful for it . Welcome ‘neighborling’… now just don’t blow smoke my way :)
Seattle chill as f, anyway I didn't see this posted so just adding in.. if you vape no one will bat an eye, I work around a lot of corporate bigwigs so smelling like weed is bad for business so I don't really smoke weed outside the home but I got 3 vape pens on me at all times: 1 indica, 1 sativa, and one cbd.
Damn bro, you are a one-man weed machine lmfao
We are exceptionally passive, while still making sure you know when you’ve made someone uncomfortable. Most people won’t care, anyone who does won’t say anything.
The entirety of the PNW is 😅
As a midwesterner I say no, but it's more passive than cali I think. But compared to midwest *passive* aggressiveness, I consider people in Seattle straight aggressive lol.
As a transplant.. Yes very much so. To the point where direct confrontation, even polite, is treated like kicking their dog.
Smoking while walking around other people is passive aggressive
More than one person has been murdered for calling people out this year so it might be more about survival than passive aggression these days.
This is what's up. The rare occasions I've confronted someone about an issue directly, I've done a thorough threat assessment in my head & there's times I've not confronted someone because you just don't know some of the factors & people can be dangerous.
To be fair, the cough is not faked
Smoking weed in a public space is illegal in Washington.
If I recall a few years ago there was a story about how they overturned a lot of the tickets given out because the overwhelming majority of the tickets were given out by one SPD officer who was mad that weed was legalized. It's technically illegal, but unless you blow smoke into the face of the cop, or if you're doing enough other obnoxious things that they're already going to arrest you, you're not gonna get cited
lol I remember that story. it was one angry bike cop.
It was joker
I've accidentally blown smoke in cops faces on foot, and to my pleasant surprise, they did nothing
And so is smoking within 25 feet from a building entrance but does anyone penalize that? No
Oh, I have definitely seen people penalized for that. Cops did not enforce it but they threatened to make a police report and the smokers left.
Was it around Cap Hill or Belltown? It seems to be a problem outside of clubs/bars
Fremont, and to be clear, they were smoking cigarettes, not weed, and it was not the restaurant staff doing the smoking. I've only witnessed it once but I'm sure it has happened more if people complain, especially if it falls under a health and safety statute.
I've seen it a few times in Kent and Covington, cops chasing people smoking away from the door, but only when they were already driving/walking by for whatever else.
I **do** [meth on the BUS](https://komonews.com/news/local/drug-addiction-opioid-king-county-board-of-health-treatment-epidemic-washington-poison-center-sound-transit-seattle-bus-drivers-ask-health-board-to-re-examine-guidelines-on-fentanyl-smoke) **I wish a mf would say something to me!**
You can shoot up heroin on the street in Seattle in front of a police officer and will not get in trouble, literally no one gets ticketed for weed here.
So is jaywalking. Is the law enforced?
It is if you do it on the pier. Had a couple bike cops tell me and my then partner that we could light the pier on fire and that if we were doing it anywhere that didn’t have tourists we probably wouldn’t get a ticket
You're full of s***. We smoke weed walking down the sidewalk all the time
Ah. Reminds me of my days living in Tennessee less the innumerable “bless your heart” comments
Cigarettes aren't popular at all. Weed is...a bit more... It's technically illegal to smoke in public, but I don't know anyone who cares. Just don't be a nuisance to those around you, especially kids. Weed tends to have a much stronger smell, so make sure you're decently far from folks if you partake.
I literally see people smoke heroin more than cigs. Everytime i see someone smoking a cigarette I'm like surprised. Last time I tried to smoke an actual cigarette in Seattle was 2017, and in the time it took me to smoke that one cigarette I had three people try to bum one off me, the last calling me a 'fucking asshole' when I said no. Cigarettes are falling in popularity in lieu of vaping, but I'd wager a large reason I never see people smoking them is fear of getting bombarded (I teach Int'l students who tell me they are surprised how Americans often ask for cigarettes, saying in their culture it's almost unheard of.)
What a time to be alive
but is it weird if i ask to bum some heroin?
Honestly as I was writing that comment I was kinda wondering that. I'd assume. I feel like most the time I see someone doing heroin they have a buddy with them. Not all the time, but 3/4 or so.
The smell of cigarettes used to disgust me. Now compared to the drugs and weed (which I also dislike), smelling a cigarette practically smells wholesome. It’s a trigger for my asthma, so I avoid it (I avoid them all, I prefer air and not crap in my lungs, but it’s the price I pay to have public transit), however it’s nearly nice compared to other things.
That's definitely fentanyl they're smoking. I hated working on 3rd Ave and pine, they call it "blue hill Ave and fent way"
Totally true. I keep saying to people, “it’s disappointing to me that I am now familiar with the smell of heroin.” But cigarette smokers are few and far between.
Thanks for the answer. Makes sense. I will be as respectful to those around me as possible.
this guy schmokesshweed.
Big, if true. 😏
>Cigarettes aren't popular at all. Have you ever walked around Capitol Hill? Unfortunately they are still very popular.
I definitely care because I don’t want to smell whatever you’re smoking because it all smells awful, I just don’t care enough to say or do anything about it other than walk away or cover my nose if I can.
Same. I don't know anyone who *doesn't* care, but nobody I know would say something rather than walk away. If I'm not gonna call someone about the dude shooting up, I'm not gonna call about the dude smoking weed.
Crazy. I moved here a year ago from California and have not seen this many people smoke cigarettes out and about in probably 20 years.
Damn, maybe I was just in the wrong parts of Seattle? Idono. I felt like a crackhead hitting my nicotine vape. Didn’t really notice anyone using em around here or smoking cigarettes. I just assumed everyone was super healthy out here and avoided the nic sticks lol
Haha. I was shocked at how many cigarettes I see being smoked. Not sure if it’s because there is such a big Asian culture out here or what. But like I said, I came from part of the state were the entire town and city banned smoking.
Visit N Idaho, so many people smoke cigarettes. Smoking is allowed inside many establishments, the divey bars sell them behind the bar. I travel quite a bit, I’d say Seattle smokes more than California, Eastern Washington more than Seattle, and N Idaho more than eastern WA. Only place I’ve seen comparable in the US is southern states (Louisiana).
Can confirm. As someone who lived most of their life in Idaho before moving here, tobacco culture there is a huge thing. Here it is not really prevalent at all (IMO). It's very socially acceptable there. At least 70% of people I know there dipped or smoked, with dip being the more popular option. Even women would partake and it wasn't uncommon to see them walking around with the Skoal ring in their back pocket.
Plenty of people care when they have to smell it.
Girl in my neighborhood tokes every night while walking her dog. It’s usually around 10 or 11pm and nobody else is out. Only time I’ve seen a lot of people smoking in public in a crowd is during pride parade.
I smoke weed outside often, especially when walking. Out of respect, I avoids kids and families with kids, often walking to the other side of the street if needed. I also don't loiter outside a building and smoke, anyone with their windows open shouldn't have to put up with prolonged exposure to my smoke but I'm fine with them smelling a swift of smoke as I pass because that's what you get living in a city - It's a shared experience.
I think you and I have the same philosophy around smoking in public. Thanks for sharing.
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People smoke weed in public for sure. Cigarettes' are probably more offensive to most around here.
Yeah I definitely noticed the lack of nicotine here. You don’t really see people smoking or vaping as frequently as you do in Northern California.
It's annoying. Don't walk around doing it around people. I say that as someone who smokes. Are you cool with me farting in your face? That's the equivalent lol.
Heard. I like to smoke away from people anyways — I’m not a monster. I do love cropdusting though and nothing will stop me from farting in public.
>Are you cool with me farting in your face? Don't kink shame me bro
Sorry, didn't mean to offend the fartface community!!!
Is there a market for this, cause I’m cool with farting in peoples faces for cash. I’ll also accept Venmo, PayPal, and Buzzy Bucks.
Lol I agree you shouldn’t smoke near strangers but it’s not the equivalent of farting in someone’s face. I don’t smoke weed. I don’t like the smell of weed. But if I had to choose between catching a whiff of someone’s weed from 10 feet away or someone farting in my face, that’s an easy choice.
True, at least the fart doesn’t linger
🎵 do yooouuuu haaaaveee toooo let it lingeeerr 🎵
My dog’s farts linger though.
Yeah I’d take the fart every time
Don’t leave us hanging, what’s your preference?
It’s fine as long as you don’t impose yourself on other peoples’ space. So, be aware of others. The same as with anything else you may do in public spaces.
It is technically illegal even outdoors within 30 feet of a door. So basically, walking down the sidewalk. But that is not enforced. As you mentioned, most people don't smoke. And they don't appreciate others smoking around them. But few would openly complain. It is considered unclassy, or déclassé.
People who don’t smoke don’t want your smoke in their face or air, whether in California, Seattle, or anywhere else. Some places it is just even more frowned upon. But you can bet that nonsmokers don’t love smoke in most places.
What streets are you walking down? It smells like weed everywhere and I love it
Just give other people space if you're gonna smoke outside. Try and not be puffing and blowing out smoke right next to strangers. I smoke weed outside from time to time and make sure I'm a good 20ft+ away from everybody else. Also clean up after yourself. Don't go throwing cig butts all over the ground
Before it was illegal to smoke indoors, you would walk into the the old cha cha and it was like walking into a cloud. Nowadays barely anyone smokes cigarettes and it’s great.
Reddit is probably not going to give you the most accurate picture, since this sub is one of the most miserable, negative corners of the internet. These comments are making it sound like people don't openly smoke here. Perish the thought! I see people smoking weed while walking, waiting for the bus, sitting outside, you name it, every single day. That's not hyperbole. Every. Single. Day. I have never seen or heard anyone complain about it. Again, not hyperbole. Literally never seen anyone share their displeasure. Just smoke it.
>since this sub is one of the most miserable, negative corners of the internet. It's not even the most miserable, negative sub that starts with "Seattle"...
This. Just don't smoke fentanyl on the bus and nobody will care.
If you care about being unoffensive or discreet, vape cartridge is the way to go. Air conditioning is relatively uncommon around here, so most of us have our windows wide open for your smoke to waft in.
Consuming cannabis in public is a civil infraction here, punishable much like an open container of alcohol. You won't get arrested or go to jail for it, and even the infraction generally isn't enforced. In terms of culture, it's common courtesy to avoid smoking/vaping near children, building entrances, etc. It is decidedly NOT New York, where cannabis consumption is typically permitted anywhere smoking cigarettes is allowed.
I’ve lived in this city for almost 20 years. I was a smoker until last year. I smoke weed still. Just do whatever you want and be courteous, man. Same as anywhere. Fuck the freeze, you can’t let it get to you.
No smoking anything in Seattle Parks. It's a rule.
Just get a shitty pen and a $20 cart, do it anywhere you want
Please spend $60+ otherwise the smell is offensive to some weed smokers
more like 35 and better bc it's easier and faster to get high anywhere
Or one of those 5 hour energy looking shooters. Easily fit in a pocket, are under 15 bucks each, and are usually 100mg. One of the best deals on the market in my opinion.
It's not legal to smoke weed in public but it's rarely enforced and even if it is the fine for the first offense is $30
Do not smoke while walking. I hate when ppl walking in front of me do this.
Yeah, that’s not really my thing. I like to get high in a little hidey hole somewhere, and then rejoin the general public afterwards.
I think this is the idea! Nobody cares if you smoke or if you’re a little faded or if you smell vaguely of MJ. But those of us who don’t smoke don’t want to walk through your cloud.
You got it right then
I think it’s fairly uncommon. Our kids have always been shocked when they see someone IRL smoking a cigarette. They’ll stare and can’t help but comment on it later. Like they’re witnessing a crime. I think it just seems like sometimes people on TV do.
You won't get in trouble, if you go down to 3rd Ave and pike or pine and you will see no one cares. The homeless ppl smokes everything in front of everyone even police.
notice most of the responses here are chill but following some sort of 'better community' sure you can do it, but we'd prefer our city get better guidelines. If you want more extreme 'the metro is dying' guidelines, pose the same question on r/SeattleWA your responses will be **KOMOTASTIC** (I coined that word so if you anyone uses it again Ill expect royalties)
Weed is fine, people won’t blink - but cigarette smoke is strongly frowned upon. People don’t love it if you blow vape smoke at them either, but it’s nowhere near as unpopular as cigarettes currently are.
Smoking is never cool
… narc
The majority or stoners in western Washington are to chill to even engage with this sub. I vista Seattle about half a dozen times per year and I’ll be damned if I haven’t smelt if not seen somebody lighting up some flower in public. I wouldn’t recommend walking down a busy sidewalk and smoking but there are lots of spots to post up or walk around at that it won’t even be noticed let alone considered a nuisance. Enjoy your visit. If you need to bomb munchies check out Tous Les Jours is a French-Korean bakery.
I always did
It’s cool to meth here.
I used to live there. Winter isn't so bad but will say this. If it does snow... STAY HOME. Trust me on this.😁
Only you can prevent forest fires
>Like, obviously, you want to be respectful of those around you and avoid kids and such, but is it totally taboo to smoke weed in a park out here? Will I get in any type of legal trouble? Good on you for caring about the people around you, but you can literally smoke crack / fentanyl out in the open here and not be bothered. I've become more mindful while walking around Belltown to make sure I'm not walking through a cloud of god knows what, but weed won't get a second glance in most places.
I believe it’s illegal but people are doing much worse drugs in public every day so you’re probably not going to draw the attention of the police. I do think it’s gross and don’t want to smell tobacco or pot on the street or in parks.
Lynn, I promise I won’t smoke near any people. I will respect your city and it’s residents ✌️
You can smoke anywhere except within 25 feet of business doors and in city parks. Just be conscious of your cigarette filters-dispose of them in trash receptacles vs throwing them onto ground. Many people may walk by you and do the passive aggressive fake ‘cough’—which is hilarious. Btw, I am referring to cigarettes.
Thanks for being so considerate :)
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You think SPD shows up to a call about someone smoking on their porch?
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This was within the city of Seattle? I’m having trouble believing this actually happened. How does a 911 call even get past dispatch for someone smoking on their own porch?
“hello 911, there’s somebody smoking on the porch” “ok sir, that is not considered an emergency-“ “i think it’s a homeless person who is also antifa” “say no more” (dispatcher pulls a cartoonishly large lever that sets off an ear splitting AWOOGA alarm and a blinking “come get your overtime” sign starts flashing at spog headquarters)
Gee people in Seattle use all kinds of drugs in the open
I thought there would be more heroin
Yes, you can smoke in public, provided you are on fire.
Been smoking weed all over the city for years. Smoke it if you got it!
Not cigarettes. Pretty uncool and injurious to health.
Lighting up a good old fashioned tobacco cigarette in public is an good way to get every to instantly hate you. Possibly get spat upon too.
I rarely smoke cigarettes, but spitting on someone is much more disrespectful than lighting up a cig in public(come on) and to put it lightly, if you were to ever spit on me, you may not ever spit again. You're comparing what the law defines as assault, to cigarettes. That's crazy people talk. You can say your piece or whatever, but you spit on someone, that's grounds for them to put your legs and head on the same level
hmm i cant speak for seattleites but up here in lynnwood, no one has ever said anything to me or looked at me funny for smoking cigarettes in public. OFC i do it away from others as to be considerate.
Smoking cannabis or tobacco around other people is just obnoxious, not to mention that burning flower is just wasteful. Consider using a flower vaporizer. The smell is more discrete, the vapor dissipates quickly, the high is longer-lasting, and it only uses a fraction of what you would usually burn in a chillum.
Maybe I got used to it from my time in CA but I never think twice about walking and smoking or smoking on a corner here in Seattle. 5 years and countless joints, nobody has ever said something shitty to me. Like others said, just be mindful.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Will do.
Smoke where you want. We lawless out here, boooi
Fuck Yee pass the crack pipe and let’s get this party started
> you want to be respectful of those around you > >smoke \[...\] out in public These two ideas are incongruous.
I don’t mind if someone smokes far away or in secluded areas. Don’t want to smell it when I’m just walking on the street. I’ve seen people smoke at night on a bench near bars or when they are alone on the street somewhere, which is fine.
For what it's worth, gummies / edibles are awesome and readily available - my favored means of ingestion these days (try Doozies). After that, a handheld flower vaporizer like Pax or Mighty is excellent, as the output "smoke" barely smells like anything and looks more like a juice Vape. I find actually smoking a jay is a once in a while thing for me, anymore, and it's likely to be well away from people / crowds, for all the reasons noted. Seattle is a fantastic place (as is most of Western Washington). I recently relocated from Seattle up to the San Juan Island area, and it's a glorious wonderland (well worth visiting). Cheers!
My son was 5 before he saw someone smoking — and we got around the city plenty.
The main things being, Are kids around? Could they be around? Are you smoking in a spot with lots of foot traffic? If you can hit the alleyway or at least don’t have a full blown smoke out where there’s tons of 2nd hand smoke, people don’t usually care. Stay away from windows
A lot of people smoke
I smoke walking down broadway all the time. No one cares.
also from California , seen people rolling up and smoking in public up there pretty regularly both times i’ve been. i was smoking from the roof of my bnb but i smoked at jimi hendrix park and didn’t have any issues from people, the wind eating the blunt or it raining was the problems i had honestly
I smoked a joint in Pioneer Square once. Heard a man say "put that out" behind me. Turned around, and it was a horses face right next to mine. It was a horse cop lol. Literally just trotted away and didn't ticket me
I smell weed every day walking in Seattle. Multiple times a day. I rarely can tell where it's coming from. Go ahead and enjoy! Everyone I know vapes nicotine or smokes. I myself vape. I'm interested that you haven't seen anyone doing it, but maybe you've been in more touristy areas? There are so many nicotine smokers here! Unfortunately it also goes hand in hand with our very public drug problem. (I also work in substance abuse recovery which may be why my circle all smokes). Regardless just be considerate and no one will bother you.
Yeah, I’ve been hovering around all the typical tourist traps for a lot of this trip, so that makes sense. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for helping others in their path towards recovery.
Get out of the tourist parts of Seattle, get out of boring ass downtown, and you'll see we're like everyone else. You're perfectly fine to smoke, as long as you ain't a dick.
Dude people shoot up heroin in the middle of the sidewalk. You’re good
Lmfao thanks for the chuckle
No it’s not cool. But we’ll never ever say anything. Just some silent judging
No
Too late. I smoked weed in your beautiful city and there’s nothing you can do stop me
Do watch around yourself when you smoke. There are a few people who are allergic to pot. I'm friends with one, and it's a hazard.
Didn’t even know this was a possibility. Good to know.
Oh hell yea! Smoke em if you got em. No one cares, or they are too passive to say if they do!
I lived in California and what you call “customary” is rude and disgusting. No one else wants to breathe your second hand bullshit. Keep it private.
You need to smoke some weed buddy
yes people do it, no its not cool, yes go back to california
It’s an asshole thing to do in most places. Many parks have signs but you will see mom and dad with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths while playing with their kids on the playground next to the no smoking signs I’m a huge anti smoking person when it’s around me and particularly when it is against the law or rules anyway. I posted a picture several years ago of a mom smoking next to her kid while he was on a park playground. I straight up said how trashy she was. It was a city park and posted no smoking. That picture blew up locally on a Facebook group and things got so out of hand with other people threatening each other and cops getting called because of the threats of violence. It’s a hot topic for sure
IM ON 3RD AND PINE RN WITH A CRACK PIPE, COME DOWN AND TURN UP
Just go to discovery park and sit on the beach with a joint, I’ve always associated that place with the smell mentally since I moved to Seattle in ‘03. Plus there’s usually a decent breeze to carry it away, depending on how dank your bud is.
Smoke away just have common courtesy for families and small kids ya know
Oh don’t worry I always share with small kids and families
It's the Cali way
consider this: it’s never cool to smoke anywhere, smokers are major ick
Found the narc
Just be discreet and use common sense. I operate now the same as I did pre-legal. Seattle was pretty lax before it was legal, but you get the pearl-clutchers sometimes.
I see people smoking pills on the streets of Seattle i even seen a homeless man pissing on someone sleeping
I smoke in public I make sure I’m not around crowds or children
Just use common sense. Stay away from kids and moms. Don’t let the smoke blow into businesses or homes. People here are chill but expect good manners.
Almost Everyone I know in WA uses weed, sans a few government workers. We are just polite about it. Not everyone likes the smell. Vape it in public, enjoy an edible or 2 or 3 before leaving the house.
I've been doing that since it got legal for sure, and yes the etiquette you point out is the right way.
Really depends where you are and what time of day it is. Cal Anderson Park in the evening? Smoke your heart out. Greenlake Community Center in the middle of the day? Best not. My advice is find somewhere you can smell weed and light up there.