ARMINA LIGAYA CREA calls for moratorium on homegrown recreational pot

Canada’s real estate industry organization is calling for a moratorium on growing recreational marijuana at home until the government sets out nationwide regulations for the practice.

Ottawa’s proposed marijuana legalization regulations allow Canadians to grow up to four marijuana plants at their residences. Medical users are already allowed to grow at home after a federal court ruled in 2016 that the government cannot ban patients from growing their own cannabis.

However, the Canadian Real Estate Association said the ban it is requesting applies to home cultivation for recreational users when marijuana legalized later this year.

It wants the government to amend regulations to stop home grown pot until provinces can enact their own regulations — and believes Ottawa should provide provinces with guidance on “safe home cultivation.”

The association, which represents more than 125,000 real estate brokers, agents and salespeople, argues that four marijuana plants can produce as much as five kilograms of cannabis a year. It is concerned about potential property damage and effects on home prices.

“We’ve heard from homeowners and tenants across the country who are worried about living beside grow-ops,” CREA’s president Barb Sukkau told the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology on Monday, according to a statement released by the industry association.

“What does this do to their home value? Will this increase their rent? How safe will their kids be? Will their quality of life diminish because of the prevalence of drugs in their neighbourhood? These are all concerns that need to be considered before the passing of Bill C-45.”

In 2016, a federal court judge struck down legislation introduced by the former Conservative government, which had banned medical marijuana patients from cultivating their own pot. The judge found that the law violated patients’ charter rights.

“The courts have been very clear on this,” said James O’Hara, the president of the advocacy organization Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana. “That patients are in fact allowed to grow their own medicine ... It’s as simple as that.”

When asked about CREA’s concerns, he said that CFAMM recommends that all patients growing cannabis at home understand and adhere to the applicable fire and electrical codes.