Over the past decade, an increasing number of states in the USA have legalized and decriminalized marijuana for recreational use. Starting with Colorado and Washington State in 2012, almost half of US states have followed suit in the years since. While this is a major economic and social win, there is an environmental downside which often gets ignored in the legalization discussion.
The enormous environmental strain caused by the cannabis industry is mainly driven by the associated energy use of indoor cultivation. Growing cannabis indoors requires specific regulation of temperature, humidity, light, and water use, all of which consume significantly more energy than the same plant grown outdoors. According to The Breakthrough Institute, a pound of weed grown this way can carry a larger carbon footprint than a roundtrip flight from California to Japan.
So why not grow outdoors instead?
Author of Too High to Fail, Doug Fine, stated, “Ever since I began my research into regenerative cannabis in California’s Emerald Triangle in 2011 for my book, I’ve strongly believed that healthy cannabis cultivated outdoors in a manner akin to organic produce is a win-win model.”
Growing cannabis outdoors has a substantially lower carbon footprint, but the social stigma associated with growing and smelling marijuana farms drives most operations indoors. Many communities simply don’t want to see or smell a marijuana farm, problems for which growing indoors is an easy fix: out of sight, out of mind. But this comes with major costs to the planet.
Packaging and plastic waste also continue to be an issue within the industry. This has been a trend in recent years, particularly with the increased popularity of disposable vape pens, which cannot be recycled due to their batteries. Plastic waste has also increased along with the popularity of edibles packaged in single-use plastics and other alternative ways of consuming marijuana beyond smoking.
The policy problem
Weed doesn’t necessarily thrive in the places where it’s legal to grow. Marijuana is legal for recreational use in 24 out of 50 US states, but because it is not legal at the federal level, vendors and suppliers are not allowed to sell across state lines.
This in turn means that cannabis must be grown and sold within each state, rather than cultivating it in states like California where the plant would actually thrive outdoors and shipping to other states. Colorado, for example–one of the very first to legalize in the US–is mountainous and snowy with harsh winters, so growing indoors is a necessity to grow cannabis at all. These limitations are also detrimental to cannabis farmers, who aren’t able to expand their markets outside state lines.
What does a sustainable future look like for the cannabis industry?
None of this is to say that all indoor operations take an equal toll on the environment. There are farmers, like SnowTill, who pride themselves in regenerative, sustainable indoor cannabis operations. The environmental impact of these indoor operations also vary depending on where they are located.
The US east and west coast indoor facilities, for example, have a lower carbon footprint than those grown in other parts of the US. This is because the coasts have milder climates where it requires less energy to maintain the right temperatures for weed to grow. The west coast in particular also relies more on renewable energy sources and are therefore less of a strain.
Policy surrounding cannabis production is a multifaceted issue. Some states like New York do have required environmental protections in place for cannabis farmers. Others like Colorado–the largest cannabis producer in the country–have no energy regulations on cannabis production, which can also contribute to the mismatch in state by state carbon emissions.
This is not to say that the marijuana industry can’t be sustainable; merely that current laws and policy stand in the way. With federal legalization, relaxed regulations for interstate sale, and more intentional and responsible agricultural practices, the potential is certainly there for a sustainable future for stoners everywhere.
Be curious!
- Check out the Sustainable Cannabis Coalition for podcasts and more information on greening the weed industry
- Look for products from organic certified growers in your state
- Read Doug Fine’s book Too High to Fail for a more in-depth look at weed legalization
Image via Unsplash
