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Marijuana and Multi-Unit Housing

Multi-Unit Housing with overlay of MarijuanaMarijuana is the most common illicit drug, approximately 22.2 million people across the U.S report using it in the last month.1 Cannabis products can be smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints, in pipes (sometimes called bongs), water pipes or in blunts, and marijuana rolled into cigar wraps.1 Marijuana can also be brewed in items like teas, or mixed into foods (edibles) such as brownies, cookies and or candies.1 With the legalization of marijuana in California, it is anticipated that the consumption of marijuana will increase.1 In 2016, prior to the legalization of recreational marijuana, 9.5% of adults in California between the ages of 18 to 64 used marijuana and 14.5% of high school students responded using marijuana in the past 30 days.7,8

California has already instituted marijuana into the public smokefree laws, meaning that smoking marijuana in public or in any place where smoking cigarettes is prohibited by law also applies to marijuana.2,5,6 However, just as tobacco products there is currently no regulation on private property, which is a concern for the health of residents living in multi-housing facilities.2 Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke can drift into neighboring units, causing people to be exposed to the harmful effects of secondhand marijuana smoke (see below for health effects). Everyone deserves to make the choice of living in a smoke-free environment, but people living in multi-housing facilities don’t have this choice.2,3 Multi-family housing facilities can help their resident's health and decrease turnover costs (associated with cleaning housing when smokers leave) through the implementation of policy restricting marijuana smoking in these facilities. Turnover costs are approximately 2 to 7 times higher for rental units where smoking is allowed compared to the cost of maintaining and turning over a non-smoking unit.1,3

Marijuana and Tobacco Smoke Comparison

  • Marijuana smoke contains many of the same carcinogens, toxins, and irritants as tobacco smoke4,9
  • Marijuana smoke contains 2x more tar and ammonia than tobacco smoke4
  • Marijuana smoke contains 8x as much hydrogen cyanide4

Marijuana Health Effects

Disclaimer: Since marijuana is illegal under federal law, there has been a limited number of studies examining health risks associated with marijuana use and exposure in the United States.

  • Lung irritation, chronic bronchitis9,10,11
  • Increase the likelihood of respiratory infections10,11
  • Impairs blood vessel function10
  • Association with cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis (blocked arteries), heart attacks, and stroke10,12

More About Multi-Unit Housing Smokefree Apartments and Condominiums

  1. Residents Exposed At Home
  2. Secondhand smoke drifts through multi-unit buildings
  3. Property Managers, benefits of Non-Smoking Housing Policies
  4. Smoke- Free Multi-Unit Housing, What you should know

Works Cited

  1. NIDA. Marijuana. National Institute on Drug Abuse website. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana. June 25, 2018. Accessed November 14, 2018.
  2. California Department of Public Health. What's legal. www.cdph.ca.gov Web site. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/DO/letstalkcannabis/Pages/legal.aspx. Updated 2017. Accessed 11/14.
  3. The Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing, American Lung Association in California. Local California smokefree housing policies: Detailed analysis. The Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing, American Lung Association in California. 2017.
  4. Moir, D., et al., A Comparison of Mainstream and Sidestream Marijuana and Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Produced under Two Machine Smoking Conditions. American Chemical Society, 2008. 21: p. 494-502.
  5. Senate Bill 420, Medical Marijuana, in California Health and Safety Code Section 11362.79. 2003.
  6. Section 11362.3, in California Health and Safety.
  7. California Department of Public Health and California Tobacco Control Program, 2016 California Adult Tobacco Survey. 2016.
  8. California Department of Public Health and California Tobacco Control Program, 2016 California Student Tobacco Survey. 2016.
  9. American Lung Association. Smoking facts, health effects. www.lung.org Web site. https://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects.html. Updated 2018. Accessed 11/14.
  10. American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. Secondhand marijuana smoke. Americans For Nonsmokers' Rights. 2018.
  11. National Institute on Drug Abuse. What are marijuana's effects on lung health? www.drugabuse.gov Web site. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-a.... Updated 2018. Accessed 11/14.
  12. Holitzki H, Dowsett LE, Spackman E, Noseworthy T, Clement F. Health effects of exposure to second- and third-hand marijuana smoke: a systematic review. CMAJ Open. 2017;5(4):E814-E822.
  13. San Mateo County Property Owner Smoke-Free Housing Fact Sheet. Smoke-free housing fact sheet. San Mateo County. 2011.