Landlords May Ban Marijuana Smoking & Growing with New Senate Bill

Medical marijuana has been made legal in several states, but there are still some lingering issues that are unclear. A Senate Bill aims to clarify some issues related to the legalization of marijuana.  

According to The Times Herald, Senate Bill 72 was passed in the Senate 34-4 two weeks ago. The bill centers on the main problems of landlords with marijuana: the damage caused by growing marijuana and the right to maintain a no smoking policy in their units. The report adds that edible marijuana, or "medibles," are excluded from the bill. 

Senator Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, proposed the legislation. He states, "I'm simply clarifying the medical marijuana law. This will make sure it is very clear for everyone - from a judge to police to the property owner to the renter." 

The senator proposed the legislation after receiving complaints concerning rental houses that were damaged due to marijuana growers. According to Michigan Radio, he says, "If you grow, you do a lot of damage, water damage, in one case a light tipped over and started a fire, earth all over the floor, mold." 

Mike Boeis, president for the Port Huron Area Landlords Association, agrees that the bill should be passed because rental units are being damaged by grow operations.  

Meanwhile, Michigan Radio reports that Sen. Rebekah Warren, D- Ann Arbor is against the bill because it could ban patients from smoking medical marijuana in their own homes.  

When the bill was being voted on two weeks ago, Sen. Warren states, "In your own home should be the place that you can take your medicine." She adds, "All we did was vote to say that medical marijuana patients that have a legal card and a prescription can't take their medicine at home. And it's wrong." 

However, Sen. Warren says that allowing "medibles" would cause a "different debate," states Michigan Radio. 

Laura Rigby, the director of the Coalition for a safer of Port Huron, a group that pushed for allowing small amounts of recreational marijuana in the city, believes that the bill is useless in relation to smoking marijuana in rental units, reports The Times Herald. 

Rigby states, "The landlords already have that power to be able to say no smoking in their building." 

As for growing marijuana, however, Rigby believes the legislation could be helpful. She says, "I do understand the need because there are some bad growers. It can modl, it can leak, it can do damage to the building. They already have issues with bad tenants, let alone bad growers."