The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) is requesting a moratorium on cultivating homegrown cannabis in Canada until nationwide regulations have been confirmed by the government. Currently, Canadian residents are legally allowed to grow a maximum of four plants inside their homes, based on Ottawa’s proposed cannabis regulations.

Medical cannabis consumers were granted home-growing permissions back in 2016 when a federal court was victorious in fighting against the government’s plans to ban patients from cultivating their own crops.

CREA will call for a ban on home cannabis cultivation for recreational users. The ban will go into effect when cannabis becomes legal this summer.

CREA wants homegrown cannabis in Canada to be outlawed if grown for recreational purposes

The association hopes that the government will modify regulations to prohibit home cannabis cultivation in Canada until particular provinces can properly pass their own set of rules and regulations to control the situation. CREA thinks that Ottawa ought to supply “safe home cultivation” advice to particular provinces.

Over 125,000 real estate brokers, salespeople, and agents are represented by CREA.

Acknowledged as one of Canada’s biggest single-industry trade associations, the award-winning association insists that up to five kilograms of cannabis can be produced by just four cannabis plants in a single year.

CREA fears potential property damage as a result of this level of cultivation; something that could impact real estate prices.

“We’ve heard from homeowners and tenants across the country who are worried about living beside grow-ops,” said CREA’s president Barb Sukkau during an interview with the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology on Monday, April 30.

“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,” he continued.

Medical patients in Canada can grow their own cannabis

When the former Conservative government introduced legislation to ban medical cannabis patients from growing their own buds, a federal court judge discovered how the law violated the charter rights of patients.

The judge took action by eliminating the legislation in 2016.

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

O’Hara advises patients who are growing cannabis at home to follow the necessary fire and electrical codes.

CREA’s vice-president of government and public relations, Randall McCauley, said that the team is not concerned about medical cannabis patients who are cultivating plants at home.

Instead, recreational homegrown cannabis should be banned or at the very least, it should be governed differently.

“You can get it by mail. So that alleviates accessibility needs across the country. Basically, there are many questions and concerns surrounding growing in your house. And we don’t see what problem it solves, rather, it potentially creates lots of problems,” said McCauley.

The cannabis legalization bill, C-45, will enable Canadians to cultivate cannabis under a certain limit. However, each province and territory is currently in the process of creating its own legal framework for production and consumption.

Home cultivation of cannabis has already been outlawed in Quebec and Manitoba.