When you smell it, it’s often one of two things: a skunk, or someone sparking up next door.
Now, complaints over second hand marijuana smoke are making their way back to city council.
Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra brought forward constituent complaints at Monday’s combined meeting of council over outdoor marijuana usage on private property.
According to the city’s cannabis bylaw, marijuana usage is prohibited in any public space, but smoking on private property is legal. Coun. Carra told city council in Monday’s meeting that Ward 9 has received “a large number of concerns” about cannabis odour and smoke wafting from neighbours’ usage.
“Is this something that was considered when we were drafting the city’s regulations for cannabis and is there any recourse for neighbours in these situations,” asked Carra
City administration said there’s no recourse under the law because, as with the provinical laws, Calgary allows cannabis consumption on private property.
Emphasis was put on the laws surrounding cannabis consumption in/on rental property as well as on citizens to think about the impacts of second hand marijuana smoke.
“We certainly encourage people to think about where they are consuming cannabis in relation to their neighbours doors and windows,” a city representative told council.
The city maintained they considered the impacts of smoking marijuana on private property and cited their research around cannabis use to say citizens believed that portion of the proposed bylaw was reasonable.
