24 Mind-Blowing Facts About Marijuana Production in America

[boomerang]

Oh, oh. Marijuana growing is bad for the environment and in a whole slew of different ways. If you read nothing else, read Josh Harkinson's story linked below.

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/marijuana-pot-weed-statistics-climate-change

You thought your pot came from environmentally conscious hippies? Think again. The way marijuana is grown in America, it turns out, is anything but sustainable and organic. Check out these mind-blowing stats, and while you're at it, read Josh Harkinson's feature story, "The Landscape-Scarring, Energy-Sucking, Wildlife-Killing Reality of Pot Farming."

Earth going to pot – Marijuana grows in California produce more carbon than 3 million cars

"Turns out your pot habit is killing the planet"

80 percent of all marijuana grown in the USA comes from California.
In 2013, California authorities seized 329 outdoor pot grow sites with: 1.2 million plants, 119,000lbs of trash, 17,000lbs of fertilizer, 40gal. of pesticides, 244 propane tanks, 61 car batteries, 89 illegal dams, and 81 miles of irrigation pipe.
During California’s growing season, outdoor grows consumed roughly 60 million gallons of water a day – 50% more than is used by all residents of San Francisco.
In California, indoor pot growing accounts for about 9% of household electricity use.
For every pound of pot grown indoors, 4600lbs of carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere. California’s production equates to emissions of 3 million cars.
The energy needed to produce a single joint is enough to produce 18 pints of beer, and creates emissions comparable to burning a 100 watt light bulb for 25 hours.

 

[Pocatello]

Eating a steak, smoke a joint, it's bad for the environment. As long as you feel good.

 

[dank69]

Funny how "production and distribution of marijuana in America" turned into "California's production" as it made its way through the conservatard grapevine.

 

[marincounty]

40gal. of pesticides found at grow sites? And these are from Mexican cartel outdoor grows. You're right , marijuana should be grown legally under the law-but Republicans won't vote for that so it remains illegal and a huge black market exists to supply the need.
That 9% of household energy use sounds way too high, also. I think this comes from a Rand corp. study-in other words, crap.

Approximately 30 million pounds of fumigant pesticides are used each year on soil that yields valuable California crops — strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and the like — in an attempt to control pests. Responsibility for the safety of pesticides must be evaluated and approved by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation in a process known as registration.
Righties are worried about pesticides ? Really. That's why the sprayed paraquat on the pot grown in Mexico in the 70's.

 

[Drako]

Funny how "production and distribution of marijuana in America" turned into "California's production" as it made its way through the conservatard grapevine.

LOL @ Mother Jones as part of the "conservatard grapevine", wow.

 

[dank69]

LOL @ Mother Jones as part of the "conservatard grapevine", wow.

No. See, you don't understand. If you go to Mother Jones, you get the first part of my post. As you make your way through the shit sites that our OP frequents, you suddenly get the second part. Hopefully this is clear for you now.

 

[zinfamous]

I thought CO2 was not a greenhouse gas and that people weren't responsible for global warming?

Don't believe the lies, OP!

 

[rudder]

Do you think pot smokers care about marijuana hurting the environment? They are not too concerned about the death toll in Mexico from the drug trade so I doubt they give a crap.

 

[rommelrommel]

Do you think pot smokers care about marijuana hurting the environment? They are not too concerned about the death toll in Mexico from the drug trade so I doubt they give a crap.

The real crime is smoking mexican pot.

 

[Vic]

What's this? Reefer Madness for the Whole Foods crowd?

 

[marincounty]

The real crime is smoking mexican pot.

Ha ha.
The only people smoking mexican pot are mexicans, and maybe Texans. This isn't 1970.

 

[feralkid]

They are not too concerned about the death toll in Mexico from the drug trade so I doubt they give a crap.

They're not?

Did someone conduct a poll?

Any links to statistics?

Thanks.

 

[zinfamous]

Do you think pot smokers care about marijuana hurting the environment? They are not too concerned about the death toll in Mexico from the drug trade so I doubt they give a crap.

the only people smoking Mexican pot are dumbass high school kids and younger. Did you care about such things when you were that age?

thought not.

 

[zinfamous]

I still find it amusing that the OP is trumpeting this evidence of anthropogenic global warming, and has pretty much accepted it as true in order to take this jab against dem ebil hippie dopers.

He's going to have to turn around and accept one of these "great lies" in order for anyone to take him seriously with this thread.

I wait with popcorn.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Sounds like most of the damage is because of a lack of ability to properly farm because of its illegality rather than some innate environment destroying power of pot.

 

[zinfamous]

Sounds like most of the damage is because of a lack of ability to properly farm because of its illegality rather than some innate environment destroying power of pot.

silence! we will not have rational discussion this thread!

 

[OCGuy]

Crazy the timing of these anti-MJ hit pieces.

 

[boomerang]

I still find it amusing that the OP is trumpeting this evidence of anthropogenic global warming, and has pretty much accepted it as true in order to take this jab against dem ebil hippie dopers.

He's going to have to turn around and accept one of these "great lies" in order for anyone to take him seriously with this thread.

I wait with popcorn.

Wow! You put a whole lot of words in my mouth. Where did you get these notions from? Did they come to you while in a purple haze?

 

[surfsatwerk]

I'm glad we all came together finally recognizing global warming as a real threat.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

All I can say is everyone should watch Sanjay Gupta's (yes he irritates me too) Weed. I have always leaned toward legalization mostly because the war on weed has been lost a long, long time ago. I never really believed it had any significant medical use. I was definitely wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3IMfIQ_K6U

 

[fskimospy]

Uhmm, a lot of these issues are exacerbated by the illegal nature of weed. You don't grow it inside if it's legal.

 

[zinfamous]

Wow! You put a whole lot of words in my mouth. Where did you get these notions from? Did they come to you while in a purple haze?

so humans contribute to global warming, right?

 

[werepossum]

Personally I've neither smoked it nor grown it, but in Tennessee one does not need fertilizer or irrigation to grow a massive crop. Can't speak to its quality, but given that the actual growing of acres worth can be accomplished by stoners working a few hours a week, surely it's not that damaging.

As far as CO2, I'm unsure if the people not driving because of being stoned will offset the snack runs to serve the howling munchies, but surely a glut of DWS enforcement can tilt it toward the former. Especially if there's weed to be confiscated. There's a reason cops have the best grass . . .

And the OP's choice of articles is more appreciation of irony (given the massive overlap in potheads and warmers) than embracing CAGW. That should be clear to everyone.

 

[sunzt]

So unregulated and illegal weed agriculture is bad? Wow......

Good thing we have agriculture regulations in the US for the food we eat. Hopefully the legal MJ agriculture will have regulations too. Thanks for pointing that out OP.

 

[BoberFett]

Pot is grown indoors largely because of it's illegality.

And how much of the water consumed was rainfall?