excalibur
Diamond Member
- Mar 19, 2015
- 18,178
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Stupid potheads at work.
Cannabis might not be such a “green” crop after all.
A study out of Colorado State University found that the state’s indoor marijuana farms produce substantially more greenhouse gases than its coal mining industry.
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Marijuana is legal for recreational use in more than a dozen states and for medicinal purposes in several others. However, many of those states prohibit outdoor commercial cannabis farms and require that the plant be grown indoors, according to the Daily Mail. Even if the law didn’t require indoor cultivation, outdoor farms aren’t ideal since the crops are at the mercy of the weather, insects and, of course, thieves.
Indoor farming requires high-intensity artificial grow lights, fans to circulate air, dehumidifiers and climate-control systems that draw heavily on natural gas and electrical power and result in sky-high energy consumption. According to the Daily Mail’s report on the CSU study, electricity use in Denver from cannabis cultivation “went from 1 percent of the city’s total electrical consumption to 4 percent” between 2013 and 2018.
And electricity, which is generated from burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, is a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of indoor cannabis cultivation is enlarged further due to the fact that producers pump carbon dioxide inside their greenhouses to increase plant growth.
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According to Hailey Summers, the lead author of the study, growing one ounce of marijuana creates the same carbon emissions as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gasoline, NewScientist reported.
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A study out of Colorado State University found that the state’s indoor marijuana farms produce substantially more greenhouse gases than its coal mining industry.
...
Marijuana is legal for recreational use in more than a dozen states and for medicinal purposes in several others. However, many of those states prohibit outdoor commercial cannabis farms and require that the plant be grown indoors, according to the Daily Mail. Even if the law didn’t require indoor cultivation, outdoor farms aren’t ideal since the crops are at the mercy of the weather, insects and, of course, thieves.
Indoor farming requires high-intensity artificial grow lights, fans to circulate air, dehumidifiers and climate-control systems that draw heavily on natural gas and electrical power and result in sky-high energy consumption. According to the Daily Mail’s report on the CSU study, electricity use in Denver from cannabis cultivation “went from 1 percent of the city’s total electrical consumption to 4 percent” between 2013 and 2018.
And electricity, which is generated from burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, is a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint of indoor cannabis cultivation is enlarged further due to the fact that producers pump carbon dioxide inside their greenhouses to increase plant growth.
...
According to Hailey Summers, the lead author of the study, growing one ounce of marijuana creates the same carbon emissions as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gasoline, NewScientist reported.
...
Study: CO Indoor Cannabis Farming Produces 30% More Greenhouse Emissions Than Coal Mining
The news that marijuana is a 'dirtier' industry than coal comes as unwelcome news for Democrats.
www.westernjournal.com