Shuswap area real estate: caution re homes used for illegal drug trade

PART 2/2: Homes used to grow pot pose serious mould risk

Houses that have been used as marijuana-growing operations can pose serious threats to the health and safety of unsuspecting new occupants.

Electrical hazards and unsafe structural changes are the most serious of the threats, but the presence of mould in a house could have slow-building, long-term effects on a person's respiratory health

A group of realtors, firefighters and civic politicians in the Fraser Valley is working to standardize the reporting of houses that have been used to grow marijuana. At present, there is no certain way to determine whether a home has been used as a drug house.

Ray Copes, director of the environmental health division at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, says the moisture and humidity associated with growing marijuana indoors creates an ideal climate for mould growth.

"If there's mould or moisture, there are a number of health effects that are associated with that," Copes said.

"Probably the most common finding is an increase in common respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing or exacerbation of asthma when you look at people who live in damp or mouldy homes with visible mould growth, compared with folks who live in homes that don't have dampness or visible mould."

But mould is not isolated to homes that have been used for marijuana-growing operations.

Copes said it is estimated that as many as one-third of Canadian homes have mould growth caused by leaks, flooding or dampness. And while it is important to take measures to remove the mouldy materials from the home, he notes that no home will ever be entirely mould-free.

"Moulds are ubiquitous. They're found everywhere in nature," he said. "The key is to not set up conditions for mould growth in the homes."

There are several things that can be done to reduce the potential for mould growth in your home, according to B.C. Health Files, an online resource provided by the provincial government.

They include:

- Venting clothes dryers to the outdoors.

- Using a dehumidifier.

- Ventilating the attic and crawl spaces to prevent moisture build-up.

- Removing water sources that may contribute to mould growth, like standing water in planters.

(prepared by Amy O'Brian/Vancouver Sun Oct 28, 2008)


PART 1/2: Drug house buyers risk health

People who unknowingly purchase homes that have been used in the illegal drug trade may put their health and their lives at risk, according to a group of realtors, firefighters and civic politicians.

And there is no certain way of determining whether a home has been used as a drug house, Kelvin Neufeld, president of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, said in an interview.

"Our goal is to standardize the way they report grow-ops, meth labs or whatever," he said.

Neufeld said homebuyers may be at risk of financial disaster, serious health risks and conceivably violent death if they buy a home that has been used to grow marijuana, manufacture methamphetamines or has been used to distribute illegal drugs.

After years of work that resulted in a meeting earlier this month of realtors, firefighters, politicians and police investigators, the group now intends to form a committee to determine how families can best be protected.

Neufeld said something like a provincial registry could be the answer.

He said he was tired of hearing about families making the biggest investment of their lives only to discover that the homes they purchased had been contaminated by mould or toxic chemicals.

The cost of making some contaminated homes healthy to live in can be as high as $80,000 to $100,000, Neufeld said.

In some cases, criminals show up at a house looking to steal drugs, not realizing it is no longer in the hands of illegal drug producers.

Even if houses are cleaned professionally, some people do not want to raise their children in a house that was once a base for producing drugs.

Surrey Coun. Barbara Steele said it's time for the province to become involved.

Surrey has had success combating marijuana-growing operations since it started using BC Hydro records to alert bylaw inspectors and fire investigators to unaccounted-for large amounts of power use, often associated with marijuana-growing operations. Provincial legislation allowed Hydro to share the information without violating privacy laws.

City inspectors and fire prevention officers visit the suspect houses to determine whether the consumption is for legal or illegal reasons.

Surrey fire chief Len Garis ran a pilot project in 2005 that contributed to the passage of the provincial legislation.

Garis said the program has been a success. He estimates the number of Surrey marijuana-growing operations declined by 40 per cent in 2007, the year after the legislation was passed.

Although it is impossible to determine with certainty how many marijuana operations exist in Surrey, Garis said the number of hydroponic supply stores that supply growers also dropped 40 per cent in 2007. The number had remained relatively constant from 2002 to 2006.

Not only that, the number of fires related to commercial marijuana-growing operations has dropped dramatically, Garis said.

At the same time, there has been a 50-per-cent increase in hydroponic gardening supply stores in areas such as the Kootenays. To Garis, that suggests the problem is moving from an area where there is stricter enforcement to areas of less enforcement.

He said he too favours something like a provincial registry and standards for remediation.

(prepared by David Hogben/Vancouver Sun Oct 27, 2008)