That’s the concept behind Cannabis Air, which bills itself online as the “world’s first cannabis hotel.” It even has a phone number with 420 in it and a logo that features a guy happily asleep on a cloud, presumably of smoke. But, as the old adage goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Try to check in to Cannabis Air and you won’t get very far. The company’s representative told Leafly that the hotel isn’t open yet; but the situation is more complicated than that.
If you’re thinking it’s a traditional hotel, you’ll be disappointed. There’s no sign, no check-in desk, none of that. Cannabis Air is more like an Airbnb. That would be cool, but the problem is that while the location is enviable, it’s also a big problem.
Cannabis Air’s address is 53 McCaul Street, which is also the address of the Village by the Grange, a large condominium complex in Toronto’s Queen West neighborhood.
Like all condominiums, the Village by the Grange has its rules—and one of them (Number 39) forbids the use of any unit as a business that allows access to the public and the short-term rental of any unit. It even mentions “companies such as Airbnb or similar business enterprises” specifically.
Still, residents of the Village by the Grange tell Leafly that it’s an open secret that many people rent out their units for short-term stays. The status quo appears to be that if it’s not a problem, nobody’s going to do anything about it. And as any Torontonian knows, there’s always a little leeway with that sort of thing. Like, if your lease says no dogs, you can still have one as long as it doesn’t generate any complaints. That’s not the case with condominiums, though. “The condominium has the right to pass rules that promote the health and safety of its residents,” Richard P. Hoffman, an attorney with DelZotto Zorzi and an expert on condominium law, told me. “And enforce them.”
Should a condominium find someone in violation of their published rules, their first move is to send them a letter telling them to cease and desist. If they ignore it, they can get a lawyer like Hoffman to send them a second letter. “And now they’ve got to pay my fee,” he said. After that, they can have their keys revoked, their fobs deactivated or their locks changed. And, if the owners don’t pay the legal fees incurred, that bill can be made into a lien against the property. If that lien gets big enough, the condo can be repossessed.