Real estate group fears homegrown pot risks fires, property damage

By The Canadian Press

The Canadian Real Estate Association says Ottawa needs to put the brakes on letting people grow pot at home until it can better regulate it to prevent property damage and higher risks of crime and fires.

It is the latest criticism of the government’s legislation legalizing marijuana that is inching its way through the Senate as the government tries to make pot legal to buy, grow and sell across the country this summer.

The bill would allow individuals to grow up to four pot plants at home as long as they are below a certain height, but association CEO Michael Bourque says there are too many risks from home grow-ops that haven’t been addressed yet.

Bourque is one of several parties discussing the pot bill at the Senate social affairs committee this week.
Later today, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will appear at the Senate foreign affairs committee to talk about how the bill may affect international commitments, including United Nations drug treaties.

Three Senate committees today are also expected to release preliminary reports on their views of the bill, including possible impacts on Indigenous communities, the border and some of the Criminal Code and judicial elements in the bill.

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