Do you remember when cannabis was associated with the growing eco-culture? One that is not only kind to the environment but also with deep medicinal purposes and - why not, let's say it - anti-capitalist? If you do not know exactly what we mean, read carefully what we have to tell you.
If there is something that can be highlighted about this wonderful plant we are talking about, it’s that from the beginning of its use it has been much more than a substance for recreational use. Also we are not just talking about its medicinal use, this time, but its use in the building, textile and nutritional industries. Hemp has always been another symbol of ecological culture, of those who are friends of nature and alternatives.
This being the case, is it not somehow surreal and paradoxical how cannabis is currently being worked with in countries where its production has been regularized?
In the countries where the exploitation of cannabis for own consumption has been regularized -whether medicinal or not- it has been done in such a way that it must be planted uniquely indoors, requiring large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) for this. Companies buy CO2 canisters, among other substances, with the aim of ensuring fast and effective results in the process of cannabinoids extraction; when, in fact, they can be extracted with other techniques that do not include gasses or hydrocarbons (such as ethanol or solvent-free extractions). On the other hand, the energy demand for large-scale indoor cultivation is very high, so we also find a high energy impact. A clear example of the consequences of this situation can be found in Canada - more specifically Ontario - where the demand for electricity in areas where cannabis is exploited has increased from 1 to 4%.
It is a fact, the cannabis industry has ended up having a significant environmental impact. Why is this happening when cannabis -outdoor- cultivation doesn’t need such a quantity of electricity and it could, indeed, decrease the excess of CO2 in the atmosphere naturally? We are dangerously close to nonsense.
If we are really interested in minimizing this impact and turning this industry into an eco-friendly one as it always should have been, what we need is the regularization of cannabis exploitation abroad. Facts speaks by themselves.