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A lobby group representing Quebec landlords says that authorizing the possession, consumption and production of marijuana could be a danger to the rental housing market and renters’ social lives.

According to the president of the Association des propriétaires du Québec, Martin Messier, the Trudeau government isn’t taking into consideration the impact legalizing marijuana would have on the “small communities” that are residential buildings.

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More and more, Messier said, people are looking to live in smoke-free apartments. The odour coming from marijuana, he added, is an even greater nuisance and the root of many complaints.

Messier also pointed out that growing marijuana inside can cause serious damage to buildings. It is “extremely worrying” that the possibility of growing four plants at home is being considered, he said, adding that makeshift growing systems can cause extreme moisture and mould.

According to a survey conducted by the Corporation de propriétaires immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ), an association that represents 25,000 landlords, 75 per cent of apartment building owners are worried about marijuana legalization.

Questioned on how confident they are that police would be able to enforce a proposed limit per residence, 81 per cent of those who answered the survey said they had either little or no confidence it could happen.

CORPIQ is asking the federal government to not allow marijuana production in rental properties unless the owner is the one living there.