California Bill Would Allow Landlords to Discriminate Against Cannabis Smokers

A new proposed bill would permit landlords to ban cannabis smoking on their rental properties. The Assembly Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced AB 2300 Tuesday which extends a 2011 law that allows rental properties to ban cigarette smoking. The new law would allow apartment buildings to ban both cigarettes and cannabis.

Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) pointed out that no smoke is good smoke. “Secondhand smoke, regardless of whether it’s smoke from tobacco or marijuana, is especially problematic in multiunit apartments and condos because the smoke easily travels through the windows, doors and other ventilation systems,” Wood said at the hearing. “It’s a nuisance that tenants should not have to live with.” The bill was sponsored by the California Apartment Association.

Wood cited evidence that suggests that cannabis smoke is bad for your lungs. Researchers debunked that claim in the Jan. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “With up to 7 joint-years of life-time exposure, we found no evidence that increasing exposure to marijuana adversely affects pulmonary function,” the researchers wrote in study.” THC breaks down at a lower temperature than nicotine, around 315 °F. The study didn’t rule out all adverse effects, but found those issues to be fairly rare.

There is no word yet if AB 2300 will include those that vaporize cannabis. “Prop. 215 does not specifically mention the right to smoke marijuana,” Wood added. “Qualified patients will still be able to obtain and use medical marijuana through all other non-smoking ways.” AB 2300 will now move on to the Assembly floor. The proposed bill is part of the reality that comes with the package of legalization in California.