The Strata Drug Scene

I began thinking about how drugs affect strata ownership and living after reading a recent story about an explosion in a strata building in Nashville, Tennesse.

It happened at Cedar Place Apartments in Nashville on a Saturday night when a 28 year old making crystal meth in his bathroom made a mistake and the chemical compound exploded.  The explosion knocked out an entire wall and door of the apartment.  Luckily no-one was seriously hurt.  You can read more about it here.

The incident is a timely reminder that just like the rest of society, drugs are reality in strata corporations and buildings and they can have more or less dramatic effects on everyone involved.

There’s the possibility of drugs being manufactured or grown in apartments like in Nashville.  You might be surprised how often it's happening.  Like the story I heard of the hydroponic cannabis farm in a strata apartment occupying three of four rooms.  Such illegal activities not only cause damage to the building but introduce a criminal element into peoples' homes.

Worse still is the situation where drug deals are done in and around strata buildings (especially in inner city areas).  When dealers use hidden corners in alleys behind buildings, secure carpark areas and other private or hidden areas in buildings to sell drugs.  In one case, drug deals were being done in the lifts of a high rise strata buildings as it travelled between floors allowing the dealers and buyers to enter and exit on different floors.  This exposes residents to drug activity and potential violence.

And, there’s also the possibility of recreational drug use by residents as they live their normal lives; leading to strange odours in the corridors, parties running well into the night (and morning) and strange behaviour by drug affected people in the building.  I was once involved in a case where a resident regularly returned home at 2.00 and 3.00 am after a night of stimulant abuse to start weightlifting exercises in his apartment before finally crashing to sleep.  After all when people are high they often lose some sense of reality and forget how the things they do affects others.

Drugs are an issue that’s often ignored in strata title because they're seen as a police matter, there’s usually no direct or easy controls and/or management of the risk is awkward and uncomfortable.  But, it’s a real issue and can affect any strata corporation at any time.

So, watch out for the strata drug scene in your strata building.

Francesco …