I’ve found myself in a bit of a tricky situation. I just got my driver’s license (yay!), and my grandma has offered to let me use her van for school when she doesn’t need it. However, there’s a catch: she smokes heavily and has been smoking in the van. With drug dogs patrolling the school parking lot daily, I’m concerned about lingering smells. Tomorrow, we plan to remove the stash and ashtray, but I’m still worried about the leftover secondhand smoke. I’m thinking about heading to a local car wash to vacuum the van or using some Febreze. Since my grandma can’t smell anything anyway, she wouldn’t know the difference. Do you think drug dogs can detect secondhand smoke?
I have a weird situation?
Congratulations on getting your license! That’s exciting! Regarding your question, drug dogs are trained to detect specific substances, and while they are primarily focused on detecting illegal drugs, they can sometimes react to other strong odors. Secondhand smoke, especially from marijuana, could potentially linger in a vehicle, but the dogs are generally trained to identify the specific compounds associated with the drugs themselves rather than the smoke.
Cleaning the van is a great idea, and your plan to remove the cig stash and ashtray is a good start. Vacuuming and using odor eliminators like Febreze can help, but keep in mind that the smoke smell can be stubborn and might require more thorough cleaning, like shampooing the upholstery and carpets or using an ozone generator if it’s really strong.
It might be worth talking to your grandma about smoking outside the van in the future to avoid this issue. Good luck, and drive safe!