Alberta is poised to pioneer guidelines governing the cleanup of houses used for illegal marijuana crops.
The Alberta Real Estate Association and University of Calgary are proposing standards for rehabilitating former drug houses that could be the first of their kind in North America.
For unsuspecting home buyers or renters, moving into a home once used for an illegal grow-op can be hazardous to health. Marijuana grow operations generate high levels of humidity that can taint the walls and ventilation systems with toxic mould. In Alberta, provincial health inspectors have condemned grow-op homes as unfit for human habitation.
Apart from the heath risks, there are potential financial pitfalls as well:
structural damage from water saturation and unsafe wiring from illegally rigged electricity.
Officials estimate the average cost of remediation is $25,000 to $30,000.
“There are no guidelines in place to handle properties that cannot be remediated to the satisfaction of local authorities. There are currently no provisions in place provincially to protect the consumer should this situation arise.” said Alberta Real Estate Association spokesman Bill Fowler.
The project aims to create minimum acceptable remediation standards province-wide.
To read more go to this link:
http://www.canada.com/news/Alberta+pioneering+standards+restoring+toxic+drug+dens/1956447/story.html