Woman says rules aren’t being enforced in non-smoking apartment buildings

A Halifax woman is calling on the province to have legal framework in place on cannabis use in apartment buildings before legalization next summer.

Avril Jenkins has moved multiple times because of second-hand smoke from both cigarettes and cannabis, she said each time she was in a non-smoking building.

Jenkins told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show, she recently relocated for the third time,  this time into a seniors residence.

“Unfortunately I'm encountering the same problem that I did in the two other (apartments),” she said. “The landlord has been proactive, they have designated areas and they have written letters to the tenants, but it's a process.” 

She said without legislative framework, there's not much that can be done.

She's been to her doctor and the emergency room for nausea, headaches, pains in her chest and burning in her throat, which she attributes to the second-hand smoke.

“It travels through the ventilation, it travels through the electrical outlets, it travels through the vents in the bathroom, people do not realize the damage it can cause to you health-wise.”

Jenkins has contacted her councillor and the premier about her situation, and hopes others experiencing the same issue will do the same.

“Then maybe something can be done, maybe they can work faster in preventing the situation from getting out of hand,” she said. “You have to ensure your safety…protection has to be there from second-hand smoke, just like the protection is there for people who smoke in smoking buildings.”