Cannabis legalization and industry stakeholder working group
On April 13, the federal government introduced their bill to legalize and regulate the production and consumption of cannabis. While this bill is not yet law—it still needs to pass through the necessary readings and reviews in the House and the Senate—it is expected to pass sometime in the next year. The government intends for the legalization process to be complete by July 2018.
Regardless of the legality of cannabis, BCREA’s position remains unchanged. The Association is concerned about possible health and safety impacts from properties used in drug operations, including mould, chemicals used on the premises and electrical fires. It’s important for homebuyers and renters to know if a property they are interested in moving into was ever identified as having a history of drug production, whether or not the production was legal.
Currently, there is no consistency across BC on how municipalities make this information available, nor is there a provincial or federal standard of remediation for buildings used to produce drugs. BCREA continues to call for accessible information about the history of properties used in drug operations, as well as for clear remediation standards.
To further study the potential impacts of drug operations, BCREA has convened an Industry Working Group. The impetus for this Working Group came from a stakeholder forum the Association hosted in November 2016, which focused on challenges in obtaining financing and insurance for properties used in drug production. This Working Group will identify actions to promote the creation of government standards for property remediation and professional certification, and articulate key messages to advocate on this topic to stakeholders and governments.
BCREA will be watching the issue of cannabis legalization as it unfolds. To learn more about BCREA’s position on drug operations, click here.
Copyright British Columbia Real Estate Association. Reprinted with permission.
