Here in Colorado where marijuana was legalized recreationally in 2012, marijuana use is common, frequent, and even sometimes one of the reasons why people move to Colorado. However, it can also be a reason why some owners might be nervous to rent out their homes.
Because the smell of marijuana is quite strong, some people believe that’s what makes it worse than tobacco. On the contrary, years of cigarette smoke in the house can cause some long-term and sometimes even short-term damage to a home. Long-term smoking can lead to removing carpet, sealing, and repeating walls and deodorizing. With marijuana, those are things you don’t have to worry about when smoked. Most often, the smell is not detectable and walls do not get stained as they do from cigarette smoking. Both cigarettes and marijuana risk burn holes in carpeting, hardwood floors, furniture, etc.
Because cigarettes contain chemicals, the smoke is quite damaging to properties. Marijuana does not contain these harmful chemicals, which allows the smell to disappear within hours. Occasionally, some cleaners or landlords will deodorize using an ozone machine to help dissipate the smell.
Having a strict no-smoking rule in your lease will help prevent damage to the home, however, keep in mind if marijuana was smoked in a unit, you may not even know or find out about it.