Marijuana legalization in the United States has spread rapidly over the last few years, with half of the states having now legalized marijuana in some form. The Democratic Party platform committee recently voted to amend the federal Controlled Substances Act, removing marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs. But policymakers have failed to address an important area: the industry’s energy and climate impacts.
Indoor marijuana cultivation is one of the most energy-intensive industries in the United States, generating approximately $6 billion in energy costs annually. Indoor cultivation requires vast amounts of electricity to be able to power intensified lights, air exchanges, ventilation, and to maintain consistent temperatures and humidity levels. Electricity use in Denver is rising by 1.2 percent yearly, and marijuana farms account for almost half of the increase. Colorado has set a goal of generating 30 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Currently, only 18 percent of its electricity comes from renewable resources.
When states legalize marijuana cultivation, they set detailed regulations and licensing schemes governing who is entitled to do what, where they may do so, and how much they must pay to do so. Policymakers should also move to enact rules governing the industry’s climate and energy effects. Since indoor growers consume such enormous amounts of electricity, policymakers should require cultivators to consume only carbon-free energy sources, or to pay a carbon fee until such measures can be implemented. Growers must offset their energy use by utilizing renewable energy, purchasing renewable energy credits or paying a carbon fee. Oregon has set a task force for studying energy and water use for marijuana production, recommending energy practices for growers.
States that are not capable of enough renewable energy generation to meet the industry’s electricity demands, such as Colorado, should consider this two-step approach. First, they should require indoor growers to pay carbon fees based consistently with the amount of energy consumed, and then, legislators should require an exponential increase in the percentage of energy consumed from renewable energy sources by indoor growers. Marijuana production is a lucrative industry that can afford to manage its environmental footprint.
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