The website for 77 Central Apartments informs you that you'll be able to "relax in the quiet comforts of your new home" if you live there. Turns out that relaxation better not include the usage of marijuana. Abode Management, who manages the building, recently sent a letter to the 171 apartment tenants to let them know that pot, in all forms, is prohibited and grounds for eviction.
While smoking marijuana indoors certainly seems a legitimate gripe for an apartment complex, what about iquid forms of medical marijuana? Does that resident and Iraq war veteran Alex Aversano now must stop using his prescribed medication within the comforts of his own home?
After Aversano complained, the management company "chillaxed" their stance, saying that "creating a smoke free environment" is their chief concern and that current tenants are not required to sign this new marijuana addendum, only new ones.
In the wake of the I-502 decision, consider this the first of many battles between landlords and tenants when it comes to where the line can be drawn with marijuana. While more landlords will limit pot usage in their buildings, recent court cases have sided with tenants in eviction attempts over marijuana.
Is "pot-free" going to become a box you can check on real estate websites when finding the apartment for you? It's a doobie-ous proposition but one to keep an eye on.
· Mercer Island landlord tries to ban pot in apartment building [Seattle Times]