Pubdate: Fri, 27 Feb 2004
Source: Comox Valley Echo (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Comox Valley Echo
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/785
Author: Bruce MacInnis
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

FULL DISCLOSURE FOR GROW-OPS NOW LAW

Property sellers could face serious consequences in court if they fail to 
inform buyers that their buildings housed marijuana grow shows or illegal 
drug labs, police warn.

The B.C. Real Estate Association recently added two questions to its strata 
title and residential disclosure forms signed by sellers. The question 
asks: "Are you aware if the (property) has ever been used as a marijuana 
grow operation or to manufacture illegal drugs?"

The disclosure statements are provincial documents designed to help buyers 
make informed choices about whether to buy property.

They also give buyers a starting point for making further inquiries, the 
Real Estate Association says.

Marijuana grow shows and drug labs can leave structural problems in 
buildings, including mold inside walls, unsafe electrical wiring which has 
been modified by amateurs, and toxic substances in the structure which can 
be a health hazard if undetected, police say.

People who willfully fail to disclose such former uses of property could be 
liable if future occupants suffer from problems created by undisclosed drug 
productions in buildings, according to the RCMP.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl