Cannabis and It's Harsh Impact On The Environment

Hoid

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 15, 2017
20,408
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It is the height of stupidity to be growing indoors when it's legal. You could grow more dope in a single summer in Canada than Canadians could smoke in a million years. Of course that would make sense.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
11,193
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Low Earth Orbit
There are few cultivars that can finish before the threat of frost hits.

We don't have the length of season required to pull off the varieties that the market demands.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
44,850
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Nakusp, BC
Lots of outdoor growers in BC who were good at creating varieties that could mature in many different environments. That was before infrared satellite imaging put them out of business, giving the RCMP the ability to spot outdoor grow-ops and bust them. Many of those people can still do that if the fuzz would leave them alone.

The main usefulness for cannabis, though, is in hemp production - no pesticides or herbicides needed and it replenishes the soil. One or two crops in clearcuts would prepare the soil for reforestation after. Just because some farmers live in the gawd forsaken prairies, doesn't mean that it not doable everywhere else in the country.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
11,193
113
Low Earth Orbit
Cliff failed to mention they all start their crops indoors then move them outdoors and pray it doesn't frost.

Lots of outdoor growers in BC who were good at creating varieties that could mature in many different environments. That was before infrared satellite imaging put them out of business, giving the RCMP the ability to spot outdoor grow-ops and bust them. Many of those people can still do that if the fuzz would leave them alone.

The main usefulness for cannabis, though, is in hemp production - no pesticides or herbicides needed and it replenishes the soil. One or two crops in clearcuts would prepare the soil for reforestation after. Just because some farmers live in the gawd forsaken prairies, doesn't mean that it not doable everywhere else in the country.

I'm going to rain on your pot parade even more.

You claim clearcutting f-cks the soil? I have some bad news for you.


Simard, D. G., Fyles, J. W., Paré, D. and Nguyen, T. 2001. Impacts of clearcut harvesting and wildfire on soil nutrient status
in the Quebec boreal forest. Can. J. Soil Sci. 81: 229–237. Wildfire has historically been the major cause of stand initiation in
the boreal forest, shaping species diversity, successional and ecosystem processes. Clearcut harvesting may differ from fire in its
effects on soil and vegetation processes and thus may cause long-term changes in stand productivity or biodiversity. This study
compared the soil properties of mesic black spruce (Picea mariana) stands burned 2, 14, 21 yr prior to sampling, with stands
clearcut within ±3 yr of each wildfire and recently undisturbed control stands. The forest floor (FH) and mineral soil (0–10 cm)
were sampled volumetrically, air dried and analysed for pH, organic carbon content, available P, Ca, Mg, and K, mineralizable N
and nitrification. Forest floors were also digested and analysed for total N, P, K, Ca and Mg. Significant differences between dis-
turbed and control stands were observed in all study areas, with disturbance effects generally decreasing with time since distur-
bance. Burned stands generally had forest floors with thinner humus layers, lower mass of organic carbon, higher pH, and higher
concentrations of total and available nutrients than in either clearcut or control stands. Significant losses in the total mass of N and
K in the forest floor were observed in the youngest burned stands as well as a pulse of extractable P that was at least four times
higher than cut or control stands in any other treatment or study area. The forest floor of cut stands had greater mass of organic
matter and total nutrients, and higher levels of potentially mineralizable N than either fire or control stands. No significant nutri-
ent loss was observed following clearcut harvesting in any study area
. Overall, this study suggested that clearcut harvesting can
result in changes to the status of soil nutrients that are different from those produced by wildfire. Further study is necessary to
determine whether these differences have significant effects on the long-term productivity or biodiversity of the boreal forest.
 

White_Unifier

Senate Member
Feb 21, 2017
7,300
2
36
Don't bogart my energy!

Electricity usage for indoor grows is off the charts

Now before you roll your eyes, kick back, and light up: Researchers have estimated that indoor grow operations account for a whopping 1 percent of total electricity use in the United States each year. (Indoor grows can be attractive because they offer multiple harvests and shorter grow times.)

“Whopping 1 percent” might sound a little paradoxical, but think about how crazy that number is. That’s about the same amount of electricity consumed by every computer in every home and apartment in the country annually.

Why’s that number so big? It mostly has to do with the high-intensity light bulbs that pot plants need to thrive when grown indoors.

In order to power all those light fixtures, as well as dehumidifiers and heating and ventilation systems, indoor grow operations use about eight times the amount of energy per square foot as a normal commercial building. That’s on par with a modern data center.

When indoor operations are run illegally, they’re even more energy intensive, because growers will often use diesel or gasoline generators to avoid pulling power from the grid and being detected. All told, indoor production is one of the most energy-intensive industries out there.



That’s also the amount of carbon sequestered by 1.6 acres of U.S. forests in a year.

Which is a problem, because we’re also cutting down trees for outdoor growing operations. Speaking of which …

Growing outdoors isn’t perfect either
While growing pot outdoors is naturally more energy-efficient than doing so indoors — after all, you don’t need to plug in the sun — free-range weed has a different kind of environmental impact. Getting a patch of land ready for farming can mean cutting down forests, diverting rivers, and destabilizing whole ecosystems.

Pesticides and rat poison can also kill animals around outdoor grows. Consider the Pacific fisher, a cat-sized weasel-like character. A recent study suggested that more than 85 percent of Pacific fishers near grow sites in the Sierra Nevada range were exposed to poison, which accounted for about 10 percent of all deaths of the threatened species.

Though you can solve some of these problems by moving your operation into a greenhouse, that will still require electricity for ventilation, temperature and humidity control, and supplementary high-intensity lights.

Pot plants are thirsty

In a sizable outdoor operation, the plants can suck up something on the order of a billion liters of water per square mile over a growing season. Some estimates suggest that pot plants use six gallons of water per day per plant over the summer. For reference, it takes about four gallons of water to run an energy-efficient dishwasher once.



So try thinking about your weedprint in terms of pizza

Here’s how we can put this data in terms of your own smoking and munching habits. That pizza sitting between you and those Aqua Teen Hunger Force reruns has a hefty environmental footprint, too. (Cows can eat a whole hell of a lot of alfalfa, and alfalfa is a thirsty plant.) To get a sense of pot versus ‘za, use our nifty calculator to compare a joint to a pizza slice:


Not to mention the second-hand smoke already stinking up the downtown core. Tokers should show at least enough respect to toke in private.
 

White_Unifier

Senate Member
Feb 21, 2017
7,300
2
36
Dude... really?

What? You mean tokers can't show respect? Introduce a fine of at least a thousand dollars for public toking. If they don't understand common respect and courtesy, then they might respect money we hope. We should do the same for smoking tobacco too.

If you want to smoke or toke, by all means. Just keep it to yourself though.

Or if not in private, then at least limit it to on private property.
 

White_Unifier

Senate Member
Feb 21, 2017
7,300
2
36
Does second hand weed smoke have the same impact as second hand tobacco?

Probably if not worse. Cannabis contains about twice as much tar as tobacco. That said, we should relegate tobacco smoking to private property too.

Pretty much yeah.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no excuse. They can bake weed brownies, take it in liquid extract form, etc. There are plenty of ways in which they can take it without stinking the place up. Same with tobacco by the way. A person can chew it for example. If he must smoke it, then let's at least ban tobacco and turn them to vaping. Even that should be done on private property, but it sure as hell beats stinking the place up with tobacco smoke.

We should pass a law forcing any shop that sells tobacco or cannabis to provide a ventilated room in which customers can smoke or toke.
 

Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
37,070
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Imagine the tarry combustion products that pot smoking leaves behind in your lungs, too.

Toxic waste.
 

Cliffy

Standing Member
Nov 19, 2008
44,850
192
63
Nakusp, BC


Study Proves Cannabis Is a Viable Crohn’s Disease Treatment

There is an alarming number of people who suffer from Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease is defined as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It affects the body by causing inflammation in the digestive tract. This leads to severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and severe fatigue. According to statistics, as of August 2017, about three million adults in the United States suffer from IBD. Scientists believe that cannabis can be used to treat Crohn’s disease.

There is a lot of speculation in regards to the medical use of cannabis. Its social use has overshadowed its medical use over the years. But with laws being passed that will eventually legalize it; it’s now starting to get recognition.

The root causes of Crohn’s disease are still debated. While there are many treatments available for the disease, scientists are now hoping that cannabis can be used as yet another viable option for patients.

Before I get into the study that illustrates how cannabis can treat Crohn’s disease, let me give you some background on the actual disease. As I mentioned, the cause is unknown. But research shows that the immune system is what triggers the disease. It attacks good bacteria and food in the gut, which causes it to become inflamed.


https://www.providr.com/cannabis-can-treat-crohns-disease/