SMOKE OUT

Woman Wins Landmark Case Against Neighbor Smoking Weed

She said the “feces” smell even made her vomit once.

A woman has won a landmark court case against her neighbor that forces him to stop smoking medical marijuana in his home. Josefa Ippolito-Shepherd, 76, said the “feces” or “skunk” smell made her regret returning to her duplex in Washington, D.C.. Thomas Cackett, 73, who lives on the ground floor of a neighboring property was banned from smoking weed within 25 feet of her home—including on his own property. The D.C. Court of Appeals panel ruled in her favor. Ippolito-Shepherd had been representing herself in a five-year legal battle that saw her win in 2023 in the lower court. Cackett argued he only smokes once a day for no longer than five minutes. “I am not Snoop Dogg,” he insisted to the court, saying his marijuana use is for several health conditions. The higher court said it was “doubtful” that he only smoked briefly every day. Ippolito-Shepherd said her “use and enjoyment of her own property” was more important than his “enjoyment of his marijuana.” The case sets a precedent in D.C. and potentially across the U.S., on the rights of annoyed neighbors.