GROW OP-SAVVY DEVELOPERS ARE A SIGN OF THE TIMES

It's a sign of the times when grow-op free living becomes a marketing
tool. But that's the reality in a province where indoor marijuana
cultivation is one of British Columbia's biggest export industries.

Last week, The Chilliwack Progress reported on a Chilliwack developer
who was marketing houses that carried the pot-free guarantee. That's
not a bad idea, given the potential ramifications of a grow-op next
door.

Sure, grow-ops can make good neighbours. They're pretty quiet most of
the time; they don't throw big parties, and they're not likely to
borrow many garden tools.

They're better, say, than a motorcycle gang.

But they do have their downside.

You just never know when one will burst into flames. Drug growers
aren't electricians, and the techniques they use to steal power from
BC Hydro likely wouldn't win the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.

Then there's the smell (if the owners haven't taken the trouble to
route the ventilation down toilets and into the sewer system).

Of course, there's always a risk that armed thugs will bust down your
door as they look for the grow-op next door. More than a few
homeowners who have sat bound and gagged as they watched their home
rifled through in a vain attempt to find sacks of cash or a rich harvest.

And then there's always the chance that your neighbour might use that
spare bedroom to diversify and set up a meth lab. One stray spark and
suddenly the stereo from the neighbour on the other side won't seem so
bad.

Developer Bill Coughlin is no doubt also thinking about resale
potential. As occupational hygienist Neil McManus pointed out, a
grow-op can leave behind more than a bad smell. Savvy house buyers are
learning to ask more about the history of their intended purchase than
where the next freeway will run. They want to know if the previous
tenants left voluntarily, or if they left under handcuff, with their
possessions carted off to the RCMP evidence lab.

They want to know if there's more than old wallpaper that needs
removing. They want to know if there's mould inside the walls, or if
the tampered wiring will overheat, or if the re-routed ventilation
system will inadvertently asphyxiate them one night.

These are worthwhile inquiries in a province where thousands of
grow-ops exist.

Given the prevalence of marijuana grow-operations across the country,
it may even be an expertise British Columbia can export.