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Douglas County Wants To Limit Pot Grows In Homes

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Douglas County Commissioners discussed a proposal on Tuesday to limit the number of marijuana plants grown inside a home.

The limitation is part of an ordinance to put what the commissioners say is responsible behaviors around pot grown in the county.

Marijuana Grow Operation
(credit: CBS)

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it's designed to clean up the unintentional consequences of Amendment 64.

In Larkspur, a large home destroyed by fire in January was being used as a marijuana grow operation by the renters, according to sources.

"We had no idea this was going on until the house burned down, until we saw the plants in the basement," said Larkspur resident Hugh Hebert.

Larkspur house fire
(credit: CBS)

Hebert attended Tuesday's commissioners meeting to support the new ordinance that allows the sheriff's office to enforce and regulate how pot is grown in residential homes in unincorporated Douglas County.

Douglas County Chief Deputy Steve Johnson said many home growers are modifying the electrical, ventilation and water systems in their homes to grow weed.

"That puts the home at risk, that puts the residents at risk. That causes modifications to the home and basically what we're starting to see here in Colorado is what I would call the meth houses of the 90s," said Johnson.

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The new ordinance would limit the amount of pot plants grown in a home from 99 to 12; a renter would need written, notarized permission from a landowner to grow pot; cultivators would not be allowed to use butane; marijuana must not be smelled or seen from outside a home.

Anyone who doesn't follow the rules would be fined $1,000 a day.

"You don't have to be growing it in anybody's house to the tune of 99 plants," said Hebert.

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