Would you report this to Child / Social Services?

Question

Hypothetically, let's say that you live on the third level of an apartment complex, have a child, and a small dog. Your child has a friend that occasionally comes over to play and along with the friend's arrival you notice a stench of cigarettes. Mind you, no one in your family smokes cigarettes and you have no objections to other's life choices. Upon walking down to the third level, you can smell cigarettes fuming from the friend's apartment; where the friend lives with her Grandparents, also Foster parents. The Grandparents are like any other people, except they smoke A LOT. You sometimes like to walk your dog around the building and every time have seen a bedroom window that is colored dark yellow, almost brown. It doesn't look like dirt or anything that can be a result of age.

I saw a case where someone sued a tenant for smoking in their home. The tenant was ordered to smoke off the property; i.e. the street. Second hand smoke KILLS. Would you report this?

haha, thanks for some of the shallow thinkers out there, so predictable. think outside the box or get off the net.

/snort ;)

NOW ... some interesting answers otherwise, thank you.

Answer 1

actually, i have heard on AM radio in the past month that they are trying to pass a law that bans foster parents from smoking inside the house, and in the car. im not sure if it is just in texas or nationwide.

check into this law, then you might have to wait a month or two, but this law should be in the books pretty soon.

Answer 2

I'm not sure you have a case with child services. Regardless, if these are foster parents, DHHR is already monitoring the home, so if they deemed it inappropriate they wouldn't have placed the child with them. It's not like they could have cleaned and been able to disguise chain smoking in an apartment. It stains everything and permeates the walls and all the clothing, etc... If it really bothers you, and it would annoy me too, I would check with the landlord. Perhaps they dont' allow smoking and the landlord could pursue it. If it's any consolation, I know someone who was charged about $1200 in smoke damage when he moved out of his apartment. The landlord had to repaint the apartment because of stains. Unfortunately, this doesn't do anything for the child who's being poisoned by the smoke and who isn't yet old enough to do anything about it. It sucks, but I don't think there is any legal recourse.

Answer 3

Well, no, but if the kid had asthma and that continued inside, there may be grounds for a solid report. Otherwise, I'd just suggest a HEPA filter. Those things work very well. If someone else could smell it before, nobody could after that and everyone could do as they choose. That's really the only compromise I can think of, but it should work out well.

Answer 4

Well, sure, that's a potential fire hazard, right?
I mean, if society is concerned, then we can find plausible reaons for making it abusive.
Especially if there are other children there.
Anyone of them could be a distraction, and a cigarette could be left unattended, right?
The grandparents could be actually letting these kids drag?
Ooh, and if one day someone happened to notice that the child's BREATH smelled like smoke...
hmmm, I wonder what would happen THEN?

Answer 5

i wouldn't report it until i found if it was against the law to smoke in a apartment or not , so places it is , but you report it now and there is no law she can sue you for harassment

Answer 6

Its people like you that are destroying this country.

Answer 7

Jeez when will you anti-smoking fascists give it a rest?