The famously “green” drug of choice of rappers and hippies from the East Coast to San Jose may not be so green after all, according to a 2011 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Marijuana, responsible for thousands of law enforcement seizures and admissions to rehab centers every year, is also pretty terrible for the environment.
According to the report, indoor pot growing is responsible for one percent of the nation’s electricity consumption, costing around six billion annually. The report also found that the carbon footprint from growing indoor marijuana, plus fossil fuels used for transportation, is equal to that of three million cars.
The report puts the majority of the blame on indoor marijuana cultivation specifically. Indoor farming is desirable for many reasons, the least of which is that an indoor farm can be much more easily hidden from the probing eyes of the law. Indeed, much of marijuana’s high carbon footprint can be attributed to the electricity usage from indoor lamps.
But outdoor pot farming is not immune to adverse environmental consequences.
In areas of central-to-northern California, such as San Jose, backwoods agricultural operations are common—and proliferating. Every marijuana farm represents illegal, unregulated agricultural processes in what was otherwise wilderness, damaging the natural landscape in ways that are reminiscent of mid-century logging enterprises.
When farming amateurs looking to capitalize on the medical dispensaries and drug rehab centers market create an agricultural site in an otherwise-wild landscape, the development displaces topsoil that can wash into nearby streams and rivers. Salmon spawning grounds have been negatively affected by the topsoil clogging up their waterways.
Marijuana plants also require a hefty amount of water to cultivate. In drought-ravaged San Jose and throughout the state of California, this is a serious problem. On a small scale, it’s not impossible to grow marijuana sustainably outdoors. But many of the pot farms in the Golden State are operating on a commercial scale, with thousands of plants per acre.
Outdoor growing also requires the use of fertilizers. Without proper regulation, pot farmers dump their used soil wherever they like, causing damaging algal blooms in nearby waterways.
With marijuana still illegal under federal law, the growing industry remains unrecognized and unregulated. Regardless of its legal status and the threat of incarceration or required admission to rehab centers; the demand for the drug remains high.
While Colorado favors indoor warehouse grow operations, which consume vast amounts of electricity, San Jose-area backwoods operations are overwhelming the natural environment. From legal dispensaries to shady dealings outside drug rehab centers, the marijuana movement needs to confront its serious sustainability issue—before it’s too late.
Natalie Benoy is a health writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Miramar Recovery Center. Follow on Twitter
According to the report, indoor pot growing is responsible for one percent of the nation’s electricity consumption, costing around six billion annually. The report also found that the carbon footprint from growing indoor marijuana, plus fossil fuels used for transportation, is equal to that of three million cars.
The report puts the majority of the blame on indoor marijuana cultivation specifically. Indoor farming is desirable for many reasons, the least of which is that an indoor farm can be much more easily hidden from the probing eyes of the law. Indeed, much of marijuana’s high carbon footprint can be attributed to the electricity usage from indoor lamps.
But outdoor pot farming is not immune to adverse environmental consequences.
In areas of central-to-northern California, such as San Jose, backwoods agricultural operations are common—and proliferating. Every marijuana farm represents illegal, unregulated agricultural processes in what was otherwise wilderness, damaging the natural landscape in ways that are reminiscent of mid-century logging enterprises.
When farming amateurs looking to capitalize on the medical dispensaries and drug rehab centers market create an agricultural site in an otherwise-wild landscape, the development displaces topsoil that can wash into nearby streams and rivers. Salmon spawning grounds have been negatively affected by the topsoil clogging up their waterways.
Marijuana plants also require a hefty amount of water to cultivate. In drought-ravaged San Jose and throughout the state of California, this is a serious problem. On a small scale, it’s not impossible to grow marijuana sustainably outdoors. But many of the pot farms in the Golden State are operating on a commercial scale, with thousands of plants per acre.
Outdoor growing also requires the use of fertilizers. Without proper regulation, pot farmers dump their used soil wherever they like, causing damaging algal blooms in nearby waterways.
With marijuana still illegal under federal law, the growing industry remains unrecognized and unregulated. Regardless of its legal status and the threat of incarceration or required admission to rehab centers; the demand for the drug remains high.
While Colorado favors indoor warehouse grow operations, which consume vast amounts of electricity, San Jose-area backwoods operations are overwhelming the natural environment. From legal dispensaries to shady dealings outside drug rehab centers, the marijuana movement needs to confront its serious sustainability issue—before it’s too late.
Natalie Benoy is a health writer reporter for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Miramar Recovery Center. Follow on Twitter