My neighbour is smoking or growing cannabis - what can I do?

The smell, which occasionally wafts through certain UK towns and cities, is particularly prominent in private gardens due to a shared belief authorities cannot interfere.

Medical cannabis products, unlike recreational cannabis, are legal in the UK, but only if prescribed by a registered specialist doctor on the General Medical Council for specific conditions such as Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and nausea.

According to Statista, between 2019 to 2020, 77% of people supported the idea of legalising the drug, whilst 26.6% of people in England and Wales aged between 16 and 59 had used cannabis at least once in their lifetime.

This is a significant increase of 23.65% between 2001 and 2002.

If you are not a fan of the smell, the thought of having the smoke infiltrate into your own home is far from ideal.

This could happen for any number of reasons such as: Your neighbours may be casual users, or, a grow operation is taking place next door.

Some argue that people should be allowed to do what they want on their own property, however, when it travels onto your property, it becomes your problem.

What can you do if you smell cannabis inside or outside your property?

Medical Cannabis is legal in the UK. Since the law was passed in 2018, Medical Cannabis is allowed for the treatment of chronic pain conditions when an individual has exceptional clinical needs and at least two other treatments have not worked.

However, at present, and despite campaigns to make it otherwise, illegally grown cannabis is illegal in the UK.

This means that you are well within your rights to report any suspected activity.

The NHS say: "The government has no intention of legalising the use of cannabis for recreational (non-medical) use. Possessing cannabis is illegal, whatever you're using it for. That includes medical use cannabis products, unless these have been prescribed for you."

A police spokeswoman previously told DerbyshireLive: “The possession of cannabis is an offence and will be dealt with by police.

"It is a widespread issue across the county and we are focusing our resources to target those connected with the cultivation and dealing of the drug to help crackdown on the issue.

"We would encourage anyone who suspects drug activity in their community to contact us.”

Will I get in trouble with the neighbours if I report it?

Police say that your neighbours will not find out that you’ve tipped them off.

Officers on patrol sometimes use tip-offs to decide which areas they’ll patrol.

If they were to smell the cannabis themselves, they might knock on the door and broach the subject that way.

Unlike the police, however, landlords are not privy to such confidentiality.

If you tell your neighbour’s landlord there is no guarantee they won’t reveal your identity.