Cannabis has a shocking environmental cost – here's how to fix it

Growing cannabis can consume astonishingly large amounts of electricity and water, as well as damage ecosystems, but it doesn't have to be that way

By Jeremy Hsu

17 October 2023

[...]

What little we do know suggests the environmental costs can be surprisingly high. A 2012 study in the US, conducted while cannabis was still illegal in all 50 states, concluded that indoor marijuana production alone may consume 1 per cent of the nation’s electricity.

But, many researchers agree, it doesn’t have to be this way. From a land-use perspective, cannabis cultivation has a tiny footprint. For instance, California – the fifth largest supplier of agricultural products in the world – has an estimated 109 billion square metres of agricultural land. Of this, an estimated 8 million square metres – or less than 0.01 per cent – is used to grow cannabis.

[...]

What’s more, there is no reason why cannabis farming should carry an unusually high environmental burden. “Cannabis is not inherently more detrimental to the environment than almonds or grapes or lettuce,” says Wilson, whose research aims to help cannabis growers manage pests without using environmentally harmful chemicals.

The trouble is, years of hiding from law enforcement officials during prohibition has shaped the industry, encouraging cannabis growers to adopt energy-intensive or environmentally damaging practices. For instance, to escape scrutiny, many growers have had to operate indoor farms that require inefficient artificial lighting.

[...]