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The carbon footprint of indoor Cannabis production

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  • Mills, Evan

Abstract

The emergent industry of indoor Cannabis production – legal in some jurisdictions and illicit in others – utilizes highly energy intensive processes to control environmental conditions during cultivation. This article estimates the energy consumption for this practice in the United States at 1% of national electricity use, or $6 billion each year. One average kilogram of final product is associated with 4600kg of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, or that of 3 million average U.S. cars when aggregated across all national production. The practice of indoor cultivation is driven by criminalization, pursuit of security, pest and disease management, and the desire for greater process control and yields. Energy analysts and policymakers have not previously addressed this use of energy. The unchecked growth of electricity demand in this sector confounds energy forecasts and obscures savings from energy efficiency programs and policies. While criminalization has contributed to the substantial energy intensity, legalization would not change the situation materially without ancillary efforts to manage energy use, provide consumer information via labeling, and other measures. Were product prices to fall as a result of legalization, indoor production using current practices could rapidly become non-viable.

Suggested Citation

  • Mills, Evan, 2012. "The carbon footprint of indoor Cannabis production," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 58-67.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:46:y:2012:i:c:p:58-67
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.023
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    1. Michael D. Roth, 2005. "Marijuana and your heart," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7034), pages 708-709, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dimitra I. Pomoni & Maria K. Koukou & Michail Gr. Vrachopoulos & Labros Vasiliadis, 2023. "A Review of Hydroponics and Conventional Agriculture Based on Energy and Water Consumption, Environmental Impact, and Land Use," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-26, February.
    2. Christopher L. Newman & Marlys J. Mason & Jeff Langenderfer, 2021. "The shifting landscape of cannabis legalization: Potential benefits and regulatory perspectives," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 1169-1177, September.
    3. Adam J. Davis & Karl R. Geisler & Mark W. Nichols, 2016. "The price elasticity of marijuana demand: evidence from crowd-sourced transaction data," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1171-1192, June.
    4. Elizabeth A. Bennett, 2018. "Extending ethical consumerism theory to semi-legal sectors: insights from recreational cannabis," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(2), pages 295-317, June.

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      Energy; Buildings; Horticulture;
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