A heated debate erupts on Reddit about weed etiquette at concerts

A Reddit post on the popular subreddit r/Am I the Asshole? The community is starting to go viral after igniting a heated debate: Should concert-goers refrain from smoking at a clearly stoner-friendly concert when a pregnant woman is in the crowd, or should the pregnant woman not be there at all when it is is secondhand smoke inevitable? The answers and opinions about acceptable behavior may surprise you.

“I went to a concert yesterday,” wrote Redditor u/Vegetable_River_255 on Sunday. “The band that I saw has a very strong drug scene associated with it. I sat in an assigned seat and made small talk with the couple next to me while I waited.”

The user continued, “I light up a joint about 10 minutes into the first set and about five minutes after the husband complains to me that his wife is pregnant. I told them both it’s a show. You came here, you can choose to leave. He tried to make a scene but nothing happened as I just ignored them both and danced.

Apparently, the user’s roommates sided with the pregnant woman. “I told my roommates that today and they said I was an asshole for smoking next to the pregnant woman.”

“FATHER [Am I the asshole] Here?” asked the Redditor.

She Knows reported on the Redditor’s “brazen admission” to smoking around a pregnant woman “without regard to her health or consent.” After all, the Surgeon General advises mothers not to use cannabis. They also have to take care of toxicological screenings.

Most moms in the thread agreed and seemed stunned at even being confronted with such a loaded question. However, even some pregnant women on the subreddit sided with the Redditor who wrote the original post, saying the mom should have known better than to go to this type of concert.

Chaos follows on Reddit

User responses varied widely, reflecting how different people see our responsibilities as smokers.

“YES YTA [you’re the asshole]’ replied WaywardPrincess1025, receiving over 35,000 upvotes at the time of writing. “You shouldn’t be smoking in your seat like that. … Double YTA for doing it next to a pregnant woman. However, if I were her, I would have left or called security to move you. Your health and that of your baby is more important than the concert.”

Others suggested just walking away from the woman first before lighting up, so there’s no problem.

“I smoke weed and cigarettes and honestly I don’t care what the rules are, it’s about consent,” Temporary-Tie-233 replied. “Passive smoke is harmful and harmful. It’s decent to stay away from everyone when smoking. People who choose to expose themselves can follow.”

However, others sided with the original poster.

“I’m being voted out, but whatever,” replied Semmama, who is pregnant. “As a pregnant woman, I know better than to go to a concert and expect people not to lash out at things. I’ve never been to a concert where that didn’t matter, not even crappy music. She has decided to go there. She could have moved somewhere else if she didn’t like it, but where do you go at a concert with no pot or worse? You were asked, you declined, this is the end.” In other words, is it okay for a pregnant woman to attend a concert that is heavily associated with weed (think Phish)?

Others seemed to agree with Semmama.

“NTA [Not the Asshole] I assume it’s some kind of Phish/Grateful Dead band. It’s basically a guarantee that people will smoke around the venue. So if the woman is worried about smoke, she shouldn’t go to that type of show,” Portalsoflight replied.

Others took a neutral stance, suggesting edibles beforehand or vaping in the parking lot. This, they say, is pretty easy and allows you to get stoned at the show without disturbing anyone. That way everyone is happy.

“Have an edible, smoke before you come in, bring a vape and drag it outside if you must. There are so many options these days other than forcing someone else and their unborn fetus to inhale it as well.”

The debate rages on.