February 2017
Health Canada can grant a license for individuals to produce marijuana for personal medical purposes.
When such a license is provided to an individual who resides in a condo building, the increase in water use by that suite can be substantial – one condo resident used 20 times more water than the average suite in one building and was required to repay more than $19,000. For condo buildings where water use is measured by a single meter and cost allocated, other condo owners may be subsidizing a resident growing their own product. It may be necessary to install a separate water meter in some condo suites where this is an issue and bill them separately for water use.
Another challenge is the odour that may emanate from a suite where marijuana is smoked or grown. This can require new physical barriers, hallway deodorizers and changes to hallway air pressure to prevent odours from migrating from a condo suite.
Should marijuana be legalized in Canada as has occurred in parts of the US, condos may soon be advertised with marijuana grow closets. Grow closets are relatively easy to set up following instructions available on the Internet.
