The one rule that covers most of it
This page is part of our New York dispensary guide, and the main idea is friendlier than most states. If you could smoke a cigarette there, you can usually smoke or vape cannabis there too.
The catch is that New York's smoke-free law counts cannabis as smoking, so every no-smoking zone applies. Then the state adds a few places where tobacco is fine but cannabis isn't, like cars, cigar bars and restaurant patios.
Can I smoke here?
Tap a spot. Green means go, gold means it depends on someone else's rules, red means the law says no.
YesYour home
Yes. A private home is the first place the state names. If you rent, your landlord can ban smoking and vaping, but not edibles.
YesBackyard or stoop
Yes, where tobacco smoking is allowed, unless you're within 100 feet of a school entrance. A landlord or co-op board can still set its own rules.
DependsSidewalk or street
Generally yes where tobacco smoking is allowed, since sidewalks aren't on the state or NYC no-smoking lists. Not within 100 feet of a school, and not in a pedestrian plaza in the city.
DependsRental or co-op
Building owners can ban smoking and vaping cannabis, but they can't ban edibles or a legal amount in your home. A landlord also can't refuse to rent to you for using cannabis.
DependsHotel room
State smoking law doesn't cover a rented hotel room, so the hotel's own policy decides. Read it before you light up.
NoDriving
No. Using cannabis in a car on a public road is a traffic violation, and driving high is charged like a DWI.
NoPassenger or parked
No. Passengers can't smoke or vape either, and NYC says it's illegal in a parked car too.
NoNYC parks and beaches
No. New York City bans smoking and vaping cannabis in parks, on beaches and boardwalks, at public golf courses and in public gardens.
NoPedestrian plazas
No. NYC's pedestrian plazas are on the city's no-smoking list, the Times Square plazas included.
NoBar, restaurant or patio
No. Bars and restaurants are smoke-free, and state law keeps cannabis banned on restaurant patios and in cigar and hookah bars.
NoNear a school
No. Smoking is banned within 100 feet of the entrances and outdoor areas of any school, and on school grounds even edibles are off limits.
NoCampus buildings
No. Indoor smoking and vaping are banned at every college and university. Outdoor areas and dorms follow your school's own policy.
NoNYCHA or federal land
No. Cannabis smoking is banned on NYCHA property, and federal law applies on federal land, from national park sites to federally assisted housing.
NoConsumption lounge
Not yet. The state hasn't opened its license for stand-alone consumption lounges, and you can't light up inside a dispensary.
- Yes
- Depends
- No
