Does marijuana play with the environment?

Weed really does “grow like a weed” in some parts of the country. However, as states legalize medical and recreational marijuana, natural cultivation has been sidelined in favor of energetic practices.

Some farming techniques use appalling amounts of electricity and natural resources while pumping harmful toxins into the environment. If left unchecked, these farming practices can have lasting impacts on the environment and global climate.

Most modern farms make use of some natural resources. However, growing cannabis currently requires significantly more resources than other types of gardening. “A 2012 report on the carbon footprint of indoor production found that cannabis production accounts for 1% of the nation’s electricity consumption,” it says the National Conference of the States Legislatures.

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The reason for these huge electric bills has a lot to do with how and where marijuana is grown. “Nationwide, 80% of cannabis is grown indoors with sophisticated lighting and environmental controls designed to maximize the yield of the plant,” it says Politically. Cannabis requires specific temperatures, humidity levels, plenty of water, and hours of sunshine to produce an extremely lucrative harvest.

Ventilating these indoor facilities is not only critical to healthy plant growth, it is also perhaps the most costly factor in cannabis cultivation. This TED.com article states, “Most of the energy use comes from keeping the growing air fresh air flowing, as proper ventilation is essential to boost photosynthesis and prevent pests and mold.”

Cannabis can grow very quickly compared to other plants. In return, it absorbs a lot of CO2 and gives off a lot of oxygen. If cannabis cultivation was done wildly and organically outdoors, it could potentially be good for the environment. But most of the energy used to ventilate indoor spaces negates this potential benefit. Some plants even emit large amounts of dangerous CO2 to increase the plants’ growth potential.

RELATED: 4 ways cannabis is becoming a greener industry

“They bottle CO2 or burn natural gas on site to basically get CO2 in the room,” says Hailey Summers, first author of a widely cited study on the energy costs of cannabis, and a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University , told slate. Not all growers pump C02 into their indoor facilities. However, this practice is permitted and widespread as there is no current federal regulation against such practices.

Federal legalization could be one of the best ways to reduce the carbon footprint of growing marijuana in the United States. This would contribute to standardized state growing practices and allow for environmental oversight. Also, it would be legal to ship cannabis between states.

RELATED: Sustainable cannabis – how to find it and why you need to start caring about it

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Currently, cannabis sold in a state that has legalized cannabis must be grown and sold in the same state. Consider oranges. If the same rules applied to oranges, Maine would have to grow its own oranges. This would require indoor facilities, light, heat, and much more energy and money than growing oranges in Florida.

RELATED: States push for more earth-friendly cannabis farms

The same goes for cannabis growth. “The crux of the problem is that a state ban means you can’t ship cannabis across state lines,” says Baylen Linnekin, agriculture advocate and senior fellow at the Reason Foundation. said Rolling Stone.

Cannabis doesn’t have to have a large carbon footprint, but it does, and it’s not shrinking. As world leaders continue to ponder the massive issue of climate change, there is much to consider. It might be worth considering the ever-growing, multi-billion dollar cannabis business and how to convert your carbon footprint into fresh lungs.