Growing at Home – Health and Safety Concerns for Personal Cannabis Cultivation

Title: Growing at Home: Health and Safety Concerns for Personal Cannabis Cultivation

Presenter: Leela Steiner

Abstract: Personal cultivation as described by the Cannabis Act (2017) permits adults to cultivate up to four cannabis plants per household. This provision is intended to promote equity by facilitating access to legal cannabis, ultimately destabilizing the black market. The indoor cultivation and processing of cannabis may also introduce or exacerbate certain environmental health risks in the home.

This session will focus on five key environmental health risks anticipated from household cultivation: access and accidental poisoning; indoor air quality; inappropriate use of pesticides; electrical and fire hazards; and radiation hazards. Collaboration between public health inspectors (PHIs) and regional/ provincial public health professionals will be essential to developing a framework for addressing these risks. PHIs may also play a role in implementing targeted public education on these environmental risks, as well as shaping a safe culture for cannabis cultivation.