# Marijuana smell?



## NZSM (Nov 3, 2010)

Hi

My director wants to light a joint on stage, and obviously I can't use Marijuana, and I have been told that burning mint leaves smells like it, but testing has proven otherwise.

So I need the smell of Marijuana without the use of it, an ideas?

Also it's quite an intermite audience.


----------



## MNicolai (Nov 3, 2010)

Do you have permission from your AHJ to use a live flame on stage?


----------



## BillESC (Nov 3, 2010)

For an off broadway production we used Lipton Tea. Fooled a lot of people.


----------



## mstaylor (Nov 3, 2010)

I can't imagine not having the smell would hamper a show in the least. The look should be enough.


----------



## jonliles (Nov 3, 2010)

If you absoultely have to light something up, herbal cigarettes have a off smell from regular cigarettes. It is distinctive enough that the audience would not confuse it with a normal smoke - though it is not quite the same as MJ.

Personally, in today's environment, I would not light anything fake or actual on stage. A fake hand roll and mime the smoking should do the trick.


----------



## MNicolai (Nov 3, 2010)

jonliles said:


> Personally, in today's environment, I would not light anything fake or actual on stage. A fake hand roll and mime the smoking should do the trick.



I think we use flour in our prop cigarettes to give the illusion of smoke when it has not actually been lit.


----------



## Footer (Nov 3, 2010)

Don't know the state of things in New Zealand, but I know here if we had even a fake smell of weed in the house, we would have police in the building the same day. Is that something you want to deal with every show when the audience leaves and goes "dude, they were smoking weed in there!". Seems it will draw more attention then needed...


----------



## MNicolai (Nov 3, 2010)

Footer said:


> Don't know the state of things in New Zealand, but I know here if we had even a fake smell of weed in the house, we would have police in the building the same day. Is that something you want to deal with every show when the audience leaves and goes "dude, they were smoking weed in there!". Seems it will draw more attention then needed...



A carefully worded curtain speech could take care of that.

The follow-up to that is: How would you ever perform Reefer Madness on stage if the police demanded to inspect it every night?


----------



## Van (Nov 3, 2010)

If you have permission for the burning of combustibles and there is no 'Anti-Smoking even on stage" law in your area then I suggest the combination of an Herbal cigarette cut with Oregano. Again, you're on your own for getting permissions and liability waviers.


----------



## BrianWolfe (Nov 3, 2010)

clove cigarettes


----------



## shiben (Nov 3, 2010)

BrianWolfe said:


> clove cigarettes



Not at all. Cloves smell like cloves. Marijuana smells like weed. Most any college student could tell you the difference.


----------



## erosing (Nov 3, 2010)

As a former smoker of clove cigarettes, I would highly recommend against their use indoors. Even outdoors it is a sent that lingers a lot, and when I was smoked them people were more offended by them than normal cigarettes, even the guy that smoked the ocasional herbal was offended. Indoors that scent is really hard to get out. Also, I believe clove cigarettes were part of the flavored tobacco ban; I believe they are now "clove cigars" (at least, that is what I have been told about Djarums).


----------



## bobgaggle (Nov 6, 2010)

Arez said:


> As a former smoker of clove cigarettes, I would highly recommend against their use indoors. Even outdoors it is a sent that lingers a lot, and when I was smoked them people were more offended by them than normal cigarettes, even the guy that smoked the ocasional herbal was offended. Indoors that scent is really hard to get out. Also, I believe clove cigarettes were part of the flavored tobacco ban; I believe they are now "clove cigars" (at least, that is what I have been told about Djarums).


 
Oh Djarum Specials, how I miss you...illegal in PA now. Yeah cloves smell nothing like weed. But I hear that fake pot gives off a reminiscent aroma. You can find it in your local truck stop next to the bongs and in little packets labelled 'Spice', 'Mr. Nice Guy' etc.... Perfectly legal, but I'm not recommending it haha


----------



## gafftapegreenia (Nov 6, 2010)

Keep a skunk in a cage backstage.


----------



## Anvilx (Nov 6, 2010)

gafftapegreenia said:


> Keep a skunk in a cage backstage.


 
+1

Ah smell the last frontier.

Sent from my HTC Liberty


----------



## BillESC (Nov 6, 2010)

Try tea, it really smells like pot. Enough so that I'd have people come up to me after the show wanting to make a purchase...


----------



## kiwitechgirl (Nov 6, 2010)

Van said:


> If you have permission for the burning of combustibles and there is no 'Anti-Smoking even on stage" law in your area....



I think Van has hit the nail on the head here - I know (and I'm sure you do too!) that with the anti-smoking laws here there's no way you can light a real cigarette on the stage, and I suspect if you light anything else the same laws still apply - it's smoking full stop that's banned, not just smoking tobacco. I could be wrong though - not sure who you'd ask for the right answer though!


----------



## museav (Nov 7, 2010)

There might be some practical challenges like how to get the smell to all of the audience. And I can indeed see people getting the wrong impression, if you tried to address it with a pre-show announcement that would seem to take away from the effectiveness and make it more a gag than a serious element. Speaking of which, are you doing any other olfactory cues? Interesting that someone would feel that just that one particular smell is important and I could see addressing the scent for one cue would then make its absence anywhere else stand out. Maybe their actual goal is to drive up the sale of munchies at the concession stand!


----------



## ruinexplorer (Nov 8, 2010)

Personally I always thought that sage incense had a similar smell, but then that would require burning it again. I've never used this product, but as an aerosol, I've been told it has a pretty authentic smell.


----------



## Irish (Nov 11, 2010)

Arez said:


> As a former smoker of clove cigarettes, I would highly recommend against their use indoors. Even outdoors it is a sent that lingers a lot, and when I was smoked them people were more offended by them than normal cigarettes, even the guy that smoked the ocasional herbal was offended. Indoors that scent is really hard to get out. Also, I believe clove cigarettes were part of the flavored tobacco ban; I believe they are now "clove cigars" (at least, that is what I have been told about Djarums).



In Ohio at least they are now flavored cigars, I think alot of the herbals have been banned at this point.


----------



## shiben (Nov 13, 2010)

bobgaggle said:


> Oh Djarum Specials, how I miss you...illegal in PA now. Yeah cloves smell nothing like weed. But I hear that fake pot gives off a reminiscent aroma. You can find it in your local truck stop next to the bongs and in little packets labelled 'Spice', 'Mr. Nice Guy' etc.... Perfectly legal, but I'm not recommending it haha


 
Things I have never understood. Fake weed? Smells similar enough that an uneducated audience probably would buy it... 


> Keep a skunk in a cage backstage.



If thats your solution, just have a psych rock concert in the venue the day before and take down the no-smoking signs. Much easier, brings in some money, and a nice, authentic weed smell.


----------



## Tex (Nov 13, 2010)

I was in a long scene from Hair in college for a directing project. We used tea from teabags. Smelled very authentic. The band took an easier route. They just lit up a joint. Nobody noticed...
Ah, the 80's. It was a simpler time.


----------



## scenerymaker (Nov 13, 2010)

"Things get complicated when you get past eighteen." - Harold Reid


----------

