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I just bought a condo which is a three-level townhouse and was built in 1980.

I am adjacent to my neighbor and share a common wall. My neighbor, an older couple, smoke weed frequently and do not air their home.

The smoke gets to my side and it is gotten so bad that I have left my condo and live elsewhere. Are there any products out there like drywalls or sealer that could prevent the smoke from coming to my side? How effective are the options available? I am just thinking about redoing my walls by bricks, thicker dry walls, waterproofing, etc.

Glorfindel
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Na Sim
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    How did the realtor get you to visit and not notice the smell... – Solar Mike Jan 12 '20 at 16:57
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    Do you know precisely where the smoke is entering your unit, vents, etc? – JACK Jan 12 '20 at 17:16
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    Other options would include taking this issue up with your landlord or law enforcement. – René Roth Jan 12 '20 at 17:20
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    Exactly how legal is it in your location? You might have legal recourse. Even if it's generally legal. – Rig Jan 12 '20 at 17:38
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    I would definitely take this up with your landlord: an inter-condo demising wall should *not* be allowing smoke to penetrate it, irrespective of the source, as that means that if your neighbors light their couch on a fire with a stray blunt, the smoke from the *couch* will get through, not just the smoke from the blunt! – ThreePhaseEel Jan 12 '20 at 18:11
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    Pretty sure the smoke is not coming through the drywall. Seal cracks, gaps, openings, etc. and see if that helps. Could be a problem with plumbing, electrical, cable, etc. poking through the walls. Could also be related to the heating/cooling systems. In some multi-family buildings all smoking is illegal regardless of what is being smoked. Also, anything legal can be dealt with as a nuisance if necessary. – gnicko Jan 12 '20 at 19:45
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    @GregNickoloff -- yeah, it sounds like an improperly stopped joint or penetration is the problem, which needs to be fixed properly because it's a Code vio atop being a safety hazard were the neighbor's couch to catch alight! – ThreePhaseEel Jan 12 '20 at 21:32
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    I thought sealing would help on a multi family dwelling. After trying to seal cigarette smoke out of adjoining units. After allowing some “sensitive” residents to break there lease the positive pressure method ended up being a good solution, weed, pot ,cannabis is legal in my state and although I no longer support those condos and rentals my good friend that owns them has only decided to add a few more positive pressure units with a contractor that I used to work for on the side for all those years. If it is legal it’s like a fart we don’t like it but a fan pushing it away works. this works. – Ed Beal Jan 12 '20 at 22:35
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    Positive air pressure is the ticket I think. Suggested sealing things up thinking it might improve things enough to get by on the cheap. Likely there are significant leaks between the two units. – gnicko Jan 12 '20 at 23:41
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    who would do install positive pressure? – Na Sim Jan 13 '20 at 02:05
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    @ThreePhaseEel If OP bought a condo that means OP has no landlord? – gerrit Jan 13 '20 at 08:25
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    @gerrit -- s/landlord/condo association/ – ThreePhaseEel Jan 13 '20 at 12:43
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    You can ask them to vape. I have had coworkers vape right next to me and I couldn't smell much of anything. Of course that may be because we were outside standing on Manhattan streets right next to millions of cars. But - I do smell cigarettes and weed when it's smoked right next to me but I do not smell it when it's vaped next to me. – Mayo Jan 13 '20 at 14:24
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    Neither the question nor your profile mention a location. Is this in a location where marijuana possession is legal? – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні Jan 13 '20 at 15:16
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    @Na Sim it depends on your state, since I was not adding a new circuit no permit was required and some states require permits for just about anything. A general contractor should be able to in most areas, but some states require an electrician as these were rental units. Since you own the unit many states allow for the home owner or direct family member to do the work even if a permit is required but as Bob mentioned we don’t know where you are located. – Ed Beal Jan 13 '20 at 15:32
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    A good resource, written for California focus, but some terminology and thoughts are well organized here. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/dealing-secondhand-smoke-california-home.html – jxramos Jan 14 '20 at 23:51
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    @RenéRoth: Yeah. Why _talk_ to them first when you can just sack them und ruin their life by (ab-)using the police as a first measure. (just on a sidenote: people often lament about smoker's smoke in the stairwell - while true, non-smoker's smells are not better, IMO; in our building, no one smokes indoor's, but the smells extruding from the condos (from cooking (especially hyper-processed and -spiced cheap foods), not airing and more) are the worst I've ever experienced; so don't assume only smokers are to blame) – Sebastian Mach Jan 15 '20 at 09:51
  • @SebastianMach true, antagonising neighbours is never a good thing. You are right, no matter what it is that is being smoked, it should not seep into neighbouring rooms. Lots of other good ideas in this thread too – René Roth Jan 17 '20 at 09:11

5 Answers5

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I would consider adding a positive pressure to your living space with the fresh air being pulled from a wall on the opposite side of the house. I have installed this type of fan in several multi-family dwellings to keep smoke stink out. The ones I have used are quite small squirrel-cage blowers that operate with a pressure switch; I think it was based on 2 or 3” water column.

The slight positive pressure pushes air out through light fixtures, switches and outlets. The only downside I remember: because these are small, if you open a window or door for long you lose the advantage of the positive pressure. I did a handful and put each one in a wall next to an existing outlet so no new circuits needed to be run.

I don’t know if you can really seal things but the positive pressure fan worked. I had 1 customer have me install them in 3 different houses; the last one was a single-family home but she said she liked the fresh air (that house had no make up air electric baseboards) and it made her feel better, so those little positive-pressure fans do work.

Toby Speight
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Ed Beal
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    by reconstructing the wall i am trying to block the smoke getting to my unit. the smell is disgusting. – Na Sim Jan 13 '20 at 01:55
  • did you install in a house with a marijuana smoker, and did it work? – Na Sim Jan 13 '20 at 02:04
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    I have used these and they help. I upvote a lot of your answers but can't on this one. Yea it helps but it doesn't take away to smell. I guess it depends on the OPs threshold is and their expectations. I tried doing these on a few units and sealed the hell out of them and still had tenants complain after spending thousands. – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 04:24
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    My experience is it keeps the smell from getting in we did try sealing and did spend a huge amount the only problem we find was when someone was smoking close to the intake the fan picks it up from there so I guess there is no fool proof method. – Ed Beal Jan 13 '20 at 14:12
  • Do these install in a window like an A/C or do you put a hole in the wall for a duct? – JPhi1618 Jan 13 '20 at 16:15
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    A small square cutout inside and a 2” round hole in the wall. Some have nice outside covers some cheap sheetmetal. I get the ones with a filter that can be replaced or washed. they do have activated charcoal filters available. There are larger units but I thought that would not be a good idea once the house is closed up after a minute or so you can’t even hear it but it maintains 2-3” of water column if memory serves it’s not a lot but keeps the flow exiting where the stench was entering. – Ed Beal Jan 13 '20 at 17:07
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I just had a friend that went through this about 8 months ago. This is not really a DIY question if you want a long-term answer. I will get back to how his situation turned out...

Your answer is to stop your neighbor from smoking. Let's just take weed off the table. Let's talk cigarettes or vaping which is not considered a controlled substance. It is illegal in every single state to emit smoke (cigarettes) onto another dwelling. Second hand smoke can cause major health concerns and if you can smell it it can harm you. I mean you know the fart smell is just you taking in tiny vapors with poop in them right? Same thing for cigarette smell, vaping smell, pot smell.

So pot would be met with double the attention because more than just the negative health side effects you are in fact giving someone a dose of an illegal substance. It does not matter how small it is, it is illegal.

Here is what my friend did:

  1. Talked to neighbor. This did not help and neighbor continued.
  2. Warned neighbor they were going to get sued if they continued.
  3. Wrote a letter to the HOA. Advised them that if they deemed it legal to do in their facilities then the liability of the home owner would be at least partially passed to them.
  4. File a suit in small claims court against home owner. Filed a motion asking board to act as witness and to testify on their HOA rules. The suit was to pay them 20k+ for renovations that would allow for zero smoke to enter their home.
  5. Friend called cops each time smell got bad. After the 5th time the cops issues the other home owner a public nuisance ticket.

After the ticket was issued his case was basically won for him - judge would look incompetent not favoring him and he could just keep sueing as each light up is a different offense. So HOA lawyer basically told other homeowner this. She put her condo up for sale within a few weeks and moved out... HOA made it against their rules to smoke weed (as much as it can be smelled).

These steps were outlined to him by case law that he found on home owners with similar issues. He did not think of any of these things himself. He also researched remedies like positive pressure and filling in gaps. Most of the people experienced the same thing - they spent tons of money for some remedy but still smelled the smoke. My recommendation is that you talk to neighbor and HOA board before doing anything. I have worked on condos and apartments with lots of smoke damage. There is no way you are sealing off an adjoining wall from a non-commercial building without ripping the whole thing apart.

Here are some other things to think about:

  1. If it is weed or cigarette smoke these smells can basically get trapped by your house. In severe cases I have had to rip out drywall and start over. Someone other than the homeowner is liable for this for sure (HOA and other home owner). This is destruction of property. Let's just say the homeowner seals their home "adequately" where it isn't making them upset. There is a high chance that they just got used the smell. What if that smell has infiltrated the walls. Think about the dog/dog-pee smell you smell when at a friends house and they smell nothing. So now even if homeowner is sort of happy short-term they could be out potentially tens of thousands if trying to sell.

  2. What would your reaction be to a house that installed positive pressure or some funky air traps and filters? Cliffhanger... I would buy something else. Most people would react the same. Spend a bunch on fixing house so 80% of the smoke smell doesn't get in and prove to potential buyers that the condos were not made well in the first place AND that there is/was a big problem.

  3. This is not a new problem. Don't let uninformed people fool you. There is no right to smoke marijuana even for medical purposes if smoking will effect others. The law is crystal clear in every state.

DMoore
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    At some places smoking weed is legal. It has been proven that weed helps to anticipate Parkinsons, for exmple. Both slowing the propagation of the syndrome and preventing it. Your suggestion may be sort of taking their cure off them. – Crowley Jan 13 '20 at 06:52
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    @Crowley No one has the right to make someone else take their medicine too. If they need canabinoids or something else from the cannabis they could eat it. – ian Jan 13 '20 at 07:03
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    @Crowley - you have the right to smoke weed all you want in your house. You have zero right for the smoke from your weed to effect others. If a home owner had kids you could (and it has happened) get brought up on child endangerment charges or giving an illegal substance to a minor. I wrote this answer because I have seen too many people spend too much money without it helping in the end for something that is illegal in every case on the other end. – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 08:29
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    @DMoore: Sorry, that's not true. It's a generally accepted legal principle that people's behavior can bring them in conflict, and each case needs to be considered on its merits. A standard of reasonableness usually applies - a minor nuisance to you may be justified by a larger benefit to the other party. Medicinal use for Parkinson could be such a benefit. Recreational use would fail the same test, as it lacks the medical benefit. – MSalters Jan 13 '20 at 09:40
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    @MSalters - I am sorry your paragraph doesn't fully make sense. Also there is no discount for medicinal use - but great job on using sympathy to garner attention on the Parkinson's. There is case law in the US out the wazoo on this topic. You are wrong. – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 15:41
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    @rath - yes legal requirements are a big part of this site. We don't tell a homeowner to make a repair that another should be making. If this homeowner repairs their house they are in fact making it harder to enforce the law or recoup expenses. It's illegal in all states to emit smoke onto another dwelling sorry if some misinformed comments confused you - and this has nothing to do with weed. – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 15:48
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    While it is legal to _consume_ cannabis in some places for medical purposes, it is usually not legal to consume it for intoxication (though that also exists, admittedly). In either case, however, there is no **right** to smoke, even for medical purposes. You have, at best, a right to consume it by _eating_ the buds (or pills). Medical use is no excuse for exposing others to detrimental effects, so although being 100% not DIY, this answer is the only "correct" one. Positive pressure will work, of course (works fine in hospitals and microchip manufacturing sites) but it is the wrong approach. – Damon Jan 13 '20 at 15:48
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    @Damon - you have summed up the case law on this in your comment. I mean there are law firms that specialize in this in a few states (California example). This isn't a new thing at all. Courts have said if you need it medicinally there are alternative ways to consume it that won't effect others. – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 15:52
  • @DMoore I understand now, thanks for the clarification. – rath Jan 13 '20 at 16:09
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    @Crowley At best, there has been [anecdotal evidence](https://www.mdedge.com/neurology/article/141080/parkinsons-disease/can-cannabis-help-patients-parkinsons-disease) of that claim. Regardless, the adverse effects of any prescription must be carefully considered against the positive effects. Subjecting a healthy person to adverse effects of your prescription, especially second-hand smoke, should be criminalized. – MonkeyZeus Jan 13 '20 at 16:09
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    This answer should be the accepted one. We could talk forever on the most effective way to prevent the smoke and smell from entering the home (and people have), but the bottom line is that this shouldn't even be OP's problem. The only foolproof way to combat the inconsiderate behavior of neighbors is to get the neighbors to stop doing it, involving HOA and the law if necessary. – Abion47 Jan 14 '20 at 00:47
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    Fart smell is not tiny vapors with poop in them... – noncom Jan 14 '20 at 00:52
  • @MSalters Even if the neighbors had a valid prescription in a state that allows it with all the medical and ethical mumbo jumbo on their side, that still doesn't give them the right to smoke marijuana in a way that directly affects others. Second-hand smoke is an established issue with plenty of legal precedent. The law would only be on the smoker's side if they have made every attempt to smoke responsibly in a way that inconveniences their neighbors as little as possible (if even then) and judging from OP's question, they haven't even made a good faith attempt. Sorry, but just no. – Abion47 Jan 14 '20 at 00:52
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    @noncom The actual smell of farts is generally methane and hydrogen sulfide along with other gases and chemical compounds, but farts do usually have trace amounts of fecal matter which in large enough quantities can also contribute to the smell. – Abion47 Jan 14 '20 at 01:12
  • @noncom - I was being extreme and a bit silly to show a point. There are very small traces of fecal in fart smells. Now if the person was nude from waste down, there is actually a large amount of fecal spread during farting. But it was there to get people's attention that a smell just isn't a smell. – DMoore Jan 14 '20 at 16:49
  • @Crowley: "It has been proven..." of course it hasn't been proven". Some studies may suggest a link, but that's hardly proof. And there are no cures for Parkinson's, therefore weed is not a cure. – President James K. Polk Jan 14 '20 at 22:03
  • @JamesReinstateMonicaPolk Parkinsons and Alzeimers are one-way only. There's no cure indeed. Patients, or their relatives, have just a chance to make it propagate slower. – Crowley Jan 14 '20 at 23:24
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I'd go with aerobarrier which can help to seal your unit extensively. Then as suggested by Ed add positive pressure fans.

Fresh Codemonger
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    Wait so you are going to blow 40 mph wind into your neighbor's home and seal gaps and then they are going to do the same? I have never seen this done on a shared wall but who knows. Do they have an example of this? – DMoore Jan 13 '20 at 04:38
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    It blows a latex aerosol mist which hardens when it is pushed into gaps. I don't see a problem with pressurizing your house and sealing any holes whether they go to the outside or to another unit. Why 40 mph? Aeroseal uses ACH50 it shouldn't have much to do with wind speed it should be a CFM over air volume. – Fresh Codemonger Jan 13 '20 at 07:16
  • I agree that aerobarrier might be the best way to seal, I have only seen it done on new construction (can it be done with a finished structure ?) , we looked into it and there sales pitch was awesome but the cost was out of reach for us. + That was my last build , but we have said that before. + – Ed Beal Jan 14 '20 at 14:31
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    You can do it on finished structure but you have to mask any horizontal surface. It isn't cheap but I think it is typically based on square footage and in a condo it should be relatively affordable. – Fresh Codemonger Jan 14 '20 at 16:18
  • Thanks I did not know it could be used after finishing. It was quite expensive but we met the purchasers requirements without it , funny thing the owner required sealing and had us add make up air intakes to both sides. But she bought it before we had finished the Sheetrock so we were happy. – Ed Beal Jan 14 '20 at 16:39
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Previous advice to deal with the civil/legal side is great, here are some tips about condo smells, I am sure there are better guides on the web:

  • Tell the neighbors to buy a CARBON FILTER. activated carbon is extremely reactive with air particulates and lasts for years. You can make one by settling 2" activated carbon in a 12'' inch box and placing a 10'' PC fan / quiet fan non-stop over it. They should have multiple carbon filters going 24/7 under beds and hidden away, it costs 3 dollars per year in electricity.

  • Inform them that you will start to phone the cops if they don't install a fan blowing outside to have negative pressure, an activated carbon box, and you should have positive pressure if you can find a source.

  • Get a carbon filter for yourself for the time being, activated carbon costs 5 dollars a pound in the fish shop, put 1-2-5 filters in stragetic places / rooms where smoke can get through. An 12v 8 inch pc fan puts through 150 m3/hr undervolted to 9V AC power supply.

  • Use a joss sticks to search cracks or gaps where air is going through, alghough this should be done on the neighbors side. It's what I do to analyze draft dynamics of the home. It's all about directing flow of air into your home from a clean source, so that their air cannot physically push into your home, and getting them to evacuate their air away from residents.

  • buy one of those brushes for under the door and door sealant tape for the edges online.

  • research anti-odor paint and hermetic sealant paints, plasterboard is breathable (what kind of wall do you have?) so it's good to seal it hermetically. You may find that slow-setting plaster mixed with a chemical, PU or silicone can be used to limit scents. Plastering a wall roughly by hand is fun and it's a lot more relaxing shadow play than a flat wall for the eyes to rest on.

bandybabboon
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The cheapest technical solution might be to offer them a vaporizer. There are low-tech, efficient ones called "vaporization pipes":

A passive-convection "vaporization pipe" with flame filter

I've seen some at parties a long time ago. People were smoking right next to me and it smelled as if they were drinking tea, nothing more.

You'd have to ask your neighbors first but those pipes have objective advantages for the users too:

  • No need for tobacco
  • Much easier on the lungs than other inhalation methods
  • More efficient because THC isn't destroyed by pyrolysis during smoking.

As far as I can tell, it is legal to buy and own such a pipe. What your neighbors put inside is not your problem.

It might not be the solution you had in mind but it might be worth it to try it for $50 before investing $XXXX in other technical solutions.

Eric Duminil
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  • Those with THC liquids are often highly toxic - best are those with steel sieves, starting at about 150$. While bamboo coal bags might helps to contain the smell to some degree... asking them to smoke at the window might be the cheapest, most effective, because vaporizer damp smells just the same. –  Jan 13 '20 at 21:15
  • @MartinZeitler: No liquid, simply grass. Why does the lighter appear strange? It's a standard [lighter](https://www.allbranded.fr/out/shop-fr/pictures/generated/product/1/480_480_80/M-2320-0200-43537.jpg), which is bought separately and isn't integrated to the vaporizer. We're probably talking about different ones. The one I've seen really didn't smell at all. Users thought it didn't work at first, mostly because there was no nicotine buzz. 15 minutes later, it was quite clear it worked fine. – Eric Duminil Jan 13 '20 at 21:15
  • @MartinZeitler: If I remember correctly, there was a small stone which was heated on one side by the lighter and vaporized on the other side. I'll try to find a corresponding model. It was a long time ago. – Eric Duminil Jan 13 '20 at 21:25
  • They might have used some liquid, because those which heat up flowers smell just just alike that... cold tobacco smoke might stink more than weed. There has to be some whiff and it must not necessarily go through the walls, but it can also be the floor or the ceiling (if there is some hollow space)... pumping air out of the neighbors apartment should reverse that whiff. –  Jan 13 '20 at 21:43
  • @MartinZeitler no, there definitely was dry herb inside. I cannot find the model again, I sent a message to an acquaintance to know if he still remembers. – Eric Duminil Jan 14 '20 at 03:27
  • One can vaporize all kinds of herbs, since there is more than one herb with medical benefits... but I hardly can believe, that it wouldn't smell, when it already quite smells at room temperature. Finding out where the whiff comes into the apartment might be the most leading, because either one can isolate it - or possibly should move elsewhere, since it's kind of a "concealed defect". –  Jan 14 '20 at 05:01
  • @MartinZeitler: I'm sure it was marijuana. It didn't smell more with this pipe than simply having it lay on a table, for example. I'm sure it wouldn't bother OP if the neighboors only had marijuana laying around and not smoking it. I'll keep on investigating and try to find the exact model. – Eric Duminil Jan 15 '20 at 12:11
  • @EricDuminil FYI, a lot of people who smoke weed do it without any nicotine. There is still a pretty substantial difference between vaporizing and smoking, with how it affects your body/mind. Thinking it didn't work at first is fairly typical with small vapes, in my experience. The beginning of the effects are more drawn out so you don't notice them as easily. – JMac Jan 15 '20 at 15:02