{"id":5298,"date":"2022-04-06T18:24:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-06T18:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=200910"},"modified":"2022-04-06T18:24:05","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T18:24:05","slug":"the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=5298","title":{"rendered":"The case for sustainable cannabis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>The case for sustainable cannabis | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.1 (Yoast SEO v18.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                   <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-dark-green-color has-text-color has-small-font-size\"><strong>Reviewing reasons why the cannabis industry can\u2019t claim sustainability just yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Cannabis is one of the oldest domesticated crops, with humans growing it for thousands of years. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/cannabis-101\/origins-of-weed\">The plant\u2019s origins<\/a> can be traced to the Tibetan Plateau as far back as the mid-Oligocene epoch. <\/p>\n<p>The last ten-odd years have presented a drastic change in many people\u2019s relationship with the plant, particularly after following roughly six decades of harsh consumption and growing penalities. And as legalization has begun to be commonplace, cannabis has become a commodity. <\/p>\n<p>But like every industrialized product, corporations have been quick to seize opportunities, lay out market strategies, and grow cannabis products for profit \u2013 contrasting many of it\u2019s purely medicinal, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/lifestyle\/weed-rituals-cross-cultural-connection\">ceremonial,<\/a> or utilitarian purposes. <\/p>\n<p>Amidst the bustle of quickly expanding business, more states and nations are lessening their prohibition of cannabis and welcoming new consumers using tactics that don\u2019t always keep sustainability at the forefront. <\/p>\n<p>Though flooding the market with an abundance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/products\">cannabis products<\/a> may seem like a net positive, it\u2019s important to remember that the scale of larger weed grows require a significant expenditure of energy, making a case for more sustainable cannabis and a less wasteful industry. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-large-scale-cannabis-production-and-energy-use\">Large-scale cannabis production and energy use<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-183704 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">To be able to deliver enough cannabis to patients and consumers, many growth facilities operate round-the-clock, keeping lights, fans, air conditioners, and hydroponic systems running at all times of day.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/research\/energy\/electricity-use-in-marijuana-production.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to the National Conference of State Legislatures<\/a>, cannabis production represents 1 percent of the national electricity use, with top-producing regions like California consuming 3 percent of all the state\u2019s electricity.<\/p>\n<p>Compared to residential and business uses of electricity, cannabis cultivation facilities gobble up electricity at rates that are exponentially higher.&nbsp; In fact, Denver saw a 45% increase in energy electricity demand specifically related to marijuana cultivation.<\/p>\n<p>To put this into perspective, an average household in Boulder county spends 630 kilowatt-hours per month, while a 5,000 sq ft facility in the same location will need 41,808 kilowatt-hours per month.<\/p>\n<h2>How the cannabis industry produces carbon<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt class=\"wp-image-200919 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/growing-ounce-pot-indoors-can-emit-much-carbon-burning-full-tank-gas-180977240\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an article by The Smithsonian<\/a>, it was estimated that \u201cproducing a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of dried cannabis released the equivalent of between 2 to 5 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere\u201d\u2014the equivalent of burning a full tank of gas.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>On 4\/20\/2022 the Earth\u2019s atmospheric carbon concentration will reach an average of 420 parts per million of CO2.<\/p>\n<p><cite>\u2013 Peter Deneen<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The piece also mentions a study by Colorado State University in which researchers calculated that local cannabis grows produced 2.6 megatons of carbon dioxide, compared to the state\u2019s coal mining industry, which produced 1.8 megatons of carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/growing\/can-indoor-cannabis-be-sustainable\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Can indoor cannabis ever be sustainable?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn 4\/20\/2022 the Earth\u2019s atmospheric carbon concentration will reach an average of 420 parts per million of CO2\u201d, says Peter Deneen, one of the organizers of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/420ppm-tickets-298844691517\">420PPM<\/a>, an event taking place in Venice Beach where climate activists, scientists, regenerative farmers, content creators, and futurists will gather to discuss the future of cannabis cultivation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote is-style-solid-color\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cYou have to trace back at least 3 million years since the last time our planet\u2019s atmosphere had that much carbon content, a time when the oceans were 100 feet higher and humans had yet to evolve. This benchmark is nothing to celebrate\u2014sort of like applauding another uptick of the needle in a garage with the engine running. But the 420 numeral holds a high place in cannabis culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a moment to rethink our place in the industry as consumers and cultivators. Cannabis has proven to be one of the most resilient and fastest-growing plants, needing only 20-30 inches of water to reach its yield point around 100 days after sown. <\/p>\n<p>In our quest to benefit our bodies, many processes and capitalistic desires have turned the plant into something more harmful than beneficial for our planet. <\/p>\n<h2>Ways to achieve a more sustainable weed industry<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt class=\"wp-image-200920 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Ideally, small farmers and growers would be able to cultivate sun-grown and pesticide-free weed that respects the environment and helps nurture the soil\u2019s microbiome.<\/p>\n<p>This could help eliminate the use of chemical waste and pesticides that end up seeping into waterways, where an excessive amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, to name a few, are leading to the <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanservice.noaa.gov\/facts\/eutrophication.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eutrophication of our rivers, lakes, and ocean.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Growing more cannabis following a <a href=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2016\/04\/permaculture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">permaculture model<\/a> could reap huge benefits.<\/p>\n<p>A study conducted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnmi.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Centre for Natural Material Innovation at Cambridge<\/a> has calculated that marijuana can capture atmospheric carbon twice as effectively as trees, absorbing between 8 to 15 tons of CO2 per hectare of cultivation (forests capture 2 to 6 tons of carbon per hectare).<\/p>\n<p>Unlike timber, the cannabis plant doesn\u2019t emit the captured carbon once cut. And besides converting greenhouse gases into biomass for the land, sustainable cannabis can be used to produce clean biodiesel, construction materials like hempcrete (replacing water-hungry concrete,) and biodegradable plastics \u2013 which haven\u2019t had the neutralizing environmental impact many hoped.<\/p>\n<p>Textiles, paper, and food (i.e. protein-rich hemp seeds) are a few other regenerative byproducts resulting from cannabis and options to explore more eco-friendly cannabis consumption.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/growing\/indoor-marijuana-homegrow-under-500\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>How to set up an indoor weed homegrow for under $500<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-keeping-up-the-fight-for-cannabis-sustainability\">Keeping up the fight for cannabis sustainability<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"The Canopy of this Forest has Hole in the Shape of a Barefoot Footprint\" class=\"wp-image-200931 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis-4.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The cannabis market in the USA could very well be worth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energyandcapital.com\/resources\/investor-s-guide-to-the-booming-marijuana-industry\/52012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$100bn by 2050<\/a> if it becomes legal at a federal level. <\/p>\n<p>But as long as we let corporations treat the plant like a piece of merchandise (instead of considering it a sacred plant with several benefits,) the industry will continue to be a culprit in the greenhouse gas increase. Then, even the most happy-go-lucky cannabis consumers will have to share the impact on our planet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/growing\/how-to-grow-marijuana-indoors\">Growing your own stash<\/a> and supporting small-scale, organic farms might just be the solution to keep emissions low while we get high.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis.jpg\" alt=\"Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Santiago (@srtarditi) is a Colombian-born journalist focused on covering drug policy reform, cannabis culture, and the psychedelic renaissance. He\u2019s the co-founder of @intu.rituals, a BIPOC\/Latinx-owned CBD company.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/santiago-rodriguez-tarditi\">View Santiago Rodriguez Tarditi&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-04-06 11:24:14 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The case for sustainable cannabis | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Reviewing reasons why the cannabis industry can\u2019t claim sustainability just yet. Cannabis is one of the oldest domesticated crops, with humans growing it for thousands of years. The plant\u2019s origins can be traced to the Tibetan Plateau as far back as&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/the-case-for-sustainable-cannabis.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}