Real Information for Canadian Landlords That are Worried about Tenants Growing Pot

As some of you heard recreational pot is soon to be legalized here in Canada. It seems that companies and people who rent or lease housing are concerned about potential damage to their rental properties. They are spreading a little misinformation regarding the growing of pot plants in multifamily buildings and rental housing. Seems that they are equating the damage caused by illegal grow ops to the growing of 4 little pot plants. I will attempt to counter some of this wrong information about growing pot plants.

First off, the proposed law only allows for the growing of 4 plants and those plants can only be up to 3 feet tall.

The growing cycle of marijuana for the development of the flowers (the part people smoke) is as follows:

From the time young plants emerge from the ground they will require 18 hours of daylight in order to grow. If the light source is far above them then they grow tall, with fewer nodes, branches if you prefer, as it grows. This is why growers tend to place their lights close to the top of the plants.

Seeing as the height restriction is approximately 3 feet, these plants will require about 3 to 4 weeks, depending upon the strain, of 18 hours of light before being switched over to 12 hours of light.

During these 3 to 4 weeks the plants have very little odour, no more than any other plant that is not in flower. Given the size restrictions, coupled with the number of plants, growers will require 1 lamp. With 1 lamp, and now a days those lamps can be LED and as such, generate very little heat. Without many lamps covering many plants, there will be no need for exhaust fans and air conditioners thus not very much money needed for electricity. Further and more importantly, about as risky as leaving any light running for 18 hours a day.

Switching the light from 18 hours a day to 12 hours a day triggers the flowering stage of the plants. The plants will require about 4 to 8 weeks, depending upon the strain, of 12 hours of light. During this time the plants do not take on that telltale smell of marijuana until the final week or so of flowering. The strength of that odour once again is dependent upon the strains.

As to the CBC's irresponsible article suggesting the "danger" from people using their ovens to dry out their pot; no one who goes through the trouble of growing pot would ever use the oven to dry their pot. Even if they were that ignorant and did use the oven, how is that any different from baking a turkey?

Relax people, rent to who you want to but just know this, there is no danger from someone growing 4 plants in a house. Don't confuse possible damage from growing pot indoors with large scale criminal grow ops. Mould damage comes from the volume of water used to grow hundreds of plants. Fire risks from large grow ops comes from the number of lamps that are hooked up using questionable electrical practices and all of the other equipment to cool and treat the air for these grow shows.

Don't be fooled her people into being governed through fear. Your Christmas tree is way more dangerous than 4 three foot plants.

Image By Axsadi Sánchez de Tagle [FAL], via Wikimedia Commons