EMISSIONS: Colorado struggles with marijuana\’s huge carbon footprint

John Fialka, E&E special correspondent

Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, holds an annual marijuana \”holiday\” every April. But federal officials say the growing popularity of indoor grow houses in particular is compromising the state\’s ability to meet ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. Photo courtesy of AP Images.

Second of a two-part series on the carbon and energy footprint of Colorado\’s marijuana industry. Click here to read the first part.

DENVER — Colorado, which gets 60 percent of its electricity from coal-burning power plants, has set some of the more ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets in the United States. It wants to cut emissions from its power plants 38 percent by 2030. Denver, its largest city, has a plan to cut 80 percent of all of its emissions by midcentury.

One of the immediate problems of the target-setters, however, is that the state lacks plans from its fastest-growing, most energy-hungry users: owners of indoor marijuana farms.

This city has over 300 of them, from the licensed, cavernous warehouses downtown where workers wear sunglasses and sunblock to prevent damage from banks of 1,000-watt lightbulbs to an unknown number of clandestine \”grow houses\” in the suburbs, often rented homes whose tenants sometimes hide their massive electricity use by stealing it before it hits their meters.

What\’s worrisome about this to Colorado and other states planning to follow its pioneering example by legalizing both medical and recreational marijuana is that the power needs of the industry are helping to push electricity use up, not down.

Last year, Denver announced its plan to accelerate its timetable and cut electricity uses by 7 percent in three years. But then it was informed by the electric utility that serves it, Xcel Energy Inc., that the city\’s electricity use was rising by 1.2 percent a year and that 45 percent of that increase appeared to be coming from indoor pot-growing.

That led to the formation of the Cannabis Sustainability Work Group, composed of city officials and representatives from the marijuana-growing industry, to see if something can be done to keep Denver\’s greenhouse gas reduction goals from becoming unreachable. Emily Backus, a city Department of Environmental Health official, said the group has met monthly since January. She found the pot growers both interested and wary.

They are interested because electricity is a \”huge percentage of their operating costs,\” explained Backus. They are wary because private consultants who sell them various expensive \”energy-saving\” lamps for growing marijuana plants \”have put a lot of bad products on the market that didn\’t produce the yield or the potency that they need.\”

Moving indoors for higher THC

In the increasingly competitive pot industry that has blossomed here, more growers are moving inside to get the brilliant lighting and controlled temperatures needed to get multiple crops, production that helps them pay their huge electricity bills.

As for potency, Denver growers aim for a product that contains 17 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive drug that produces the high. Some members of Denver\’s city council are trying to cap the THC level at 15 percent, but growers of the city\’s exotic, genetically modified plants say they need the higher drug potency to remain competitive.

Budding marijuana plants, some the size of small trees, sit under the blazing lights and elaborate ventilation and air conditioning systems in a Colorado grow house after a raid by federal, state and local law enforcement officers. Photo courtesy of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

\”Growers would be forced to destroy their strains and start over, something that\’s not economically or practically feasible,\” said Michael Elliott, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, which functions as its trade association.

By contrast, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which worries about the addictive and mental health problems that stronger pot poses to children and teenagers, the THC content of pot-growing in the 1990s ran around 5 percent.

But producing more potent pot pushed the industry\’s electricity use to 2.2 percent of Denver\’s energy use in 2014, according to the city. Meanwhile, Denver is trying hard to meet its 2020 sustainability goal, which requires it to cut fossil fuel consumption by 50 percent from 2012 levels.

A commonly discussed energy-reduction remedy would be to require growers to use powerful light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, but Backus, who is co-chair of the Cannabis Sustainability Work Group, said growers complain that the light from the bulbs doesn\’t \”produce the potency that the grower is looking for.\”

For complete article https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060036287

Marijuana’s Ecological Impact https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k6WO1diLrI&t=5s

The utterly staggering cost to environment (and on energy and water consumption) by Cannabis production (driven by demand just to get high??) is never raised by pro-weed lobby! No true environmentalist would promote pot!

Check out

Integral Ecology Research Centre,  www.IERCecology.org and

Silent Poison https://silentpoison.com

Britain\’s cocaine crisis: Use doubles in last seven years as one in 50 Londoners snorts the class A drug on a daily basis and purity soars

• Londoners are taking almost 200,000 doses of cocaine daily, worth £700,000
• Research by King\’s College London also found that class A drug\’s purity is rising
• London and Bristol are among the top cities in Europe for the use of cocaine
• Analysis of waste water also found some traces of cocaine in fish and shrimps

The use of cocaine in Britain has doubled in seven years, as one in 50 Londoners currently snorts the drug daily.

An analysis of Britain\’s waste water, carried out by forensic scientists at King\’s College London, has also proved that the purity of the class A drug has gone up, hitting a record high.

Tests of the drug in sewage show Londoners are taking almost 200,000 doses of cocaine every day, which amounts to about £700,000.

Concentrations in wastewater are 900 milligrams per 1,000 of the population per day, which rose from 392 milligrams per 1,000 in 2011.

The average cocaine dose through smoking or snorting is 40 milligrams, meaning that, in a population of nine million people, one in 50 is taking the class A drug on a daily basis.

The research also found out that the use of cocaine in London is almost as high during weekdays as it is at the weekend.

For complete story go to Nose Candy Clowns!

Ireland ‘sleepwalking’ into liberal cannabis regime, warn doctors

Campaigners say medicinal cannabis being used as ‘Trojan horse’ towards legalisation

May 2019  Paul Cullen

Plants at a medical cannabis company in Israel. Photograph: Amir Cohen/File Photo/Reuters

Ireland is “sleepwalking” into the legalisation of cannabis on the back of a campaign of misinformation about the drug, according to doctors who have set up a new group to campaign against liberalisation.

The initial 20 members of the Cannabis Risk Alliance include the head of the College of Psychiatrists, Dr John Hillery, and former president of the Irish Medical Organisation Dr Ray Walley.

Criticising the “one-sided debate” on cannabis, the doctors say society has “taken its eye off the ball” in relation to the harmful effects of the drug.

In their practice, they say they are treating ever-growing numbers of patients suffering a range of side effects from abusing the drug.

Suicides, epileptic seizures, psychosis and “wasted lives” are some of the cannabis-related complications Dr Walley, a GP in Dublin’s north inner city, says he comes across.

“I’m concerned about the dishonest debate out there. Society, politics, the medical fraternity, too — we’re sleepwalking into this. The only place you read about cannabis now is in the business sections,” he says.

The growing commercial interests behind cannabis internationally are “hijacking the truth” about the drug in the same way the cigarette industry did about its products in the mid-20th century, he says.

In a letter sent to the Irish Times, the group is critical of the “blurred boundaries” between debates on decriminalisation and legalisation of cannabis, and medicinal cannabis.

Decriminalisation

The Government said last year it was considering decriminalising possession of small quantities of cannabis and other drugs. Three countries, and many US states, have gone further and legalised it.

“Decriminalisation and ‘medicinal cannabis’ campaigns have proved to be effective Trojan horse strategies on the road to full legalisation and commercialisation elsewhere,” the doctors say in a letter published in The Irish Times today.

“These campaigns have convinced people we have a policy problem, not a drug problem,” says Dr Bobby Smyth, a child psychiatrist and addiction specialist who points to a 200 per cent increase in cannabis dependence among young people in the last decade.

For complete story https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ireland-sleepwalking-into-liberal-cannabis-regime-warn-doctors-1.3897656

Dr. Kevin Sabet

President and Founder, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)

About SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states.

Evidence shows that marijuana – which has skyrocketed in average potency over the past decades – is addictive and harmful to the human brain, especially when used by adolescents. In states that have already legalized the drug, there has been an increase in drugged driving crashes,  youth marijuana use, and costs that far outweigh pot revenues. These states have seen a black market that continues to thrive, sustained marijuana arrest rates, and tobacco company investment in marijuana.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 20, 2019

CONTACT: Luke Niforatos [email protected] 303-335-7584

Marijuana Accountability Coalition Covers Denver With Billboards to Educate Governor Polis on Failed Marijuana Policies

(Denver, CO) – Today, the Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC), a Colorado group dedicated to holding the state\’s marijuana industry accountable, announced a new billboard campaign aimed at educating Coloradans and Governor Jared Polis on the failed policy of marijuana legalization in Colorado. Governor Polis is currently considering signing bills into law allowing for the creation of pot bars and other dangerous giveaways to the marijuana industry. This campaign seeks to enumerate why continued expansion of the industry is dangerous to public health and safety.

\”Marijuana has been legal in our state for five years now, and it has not helped our state,\” said MAC spokesperson Luke Niforatos. \”Our education system is still underfunded, marijuana-related traffic deaths and emergency room visits have skyrocketed, foreign cartels are turning our public lands into illegal farms, pot shops are taking over minority communities, and our state is now the poster child for drug use. This has been a failed experiment. It is time we push back against the lies promoted by the industry and take our state back from Big Marijuana.\”

The billboards, placed in highly trafficked areas throughout the Denver area, aim to set to the record straight regarding the results of the last five years of legalization. The concerning takeaways include:

• There has been a 151% increase in marijuana-impaired driving deaths
• Opioid-related deaths have increased every single year
• 70% of Colorado pot shops recommend marijuana to pregnant mothers
• There has been a 400% increase in 0-9-year-olds being exposed to high potency marijuana products
• Criminal gangs and foreign cartels are big fans of marijuana legalization

\”It is our hope that these billboards will wake up our fellow Coloradans to the reality that we have unleashed the second coming of Big Tobacco by allowing for the commercialization of marijuana,\” continued Niforatos. \”The pot industry is spending millions to sway Colorado lawmakers to free it from regulations and is treating our citizens like guinea pigs as it markets more potent and more addictive forms of the drug.\”

To learn more about the harms marijuana commercialization has on public health and safety, please visit www.pottruth.org.

FOUR STATES DECLINE TO LEGALIZE POT THROUGH LEGISLATURES THIS YEAR

May 2019

Marijuana legalization hit stone walls in New York and New Jersey this week and another effort died in New Hampshire.   In Vermont, legislation to establish a commercial marijuana market faltered, too.  Four states failed.  Tiny windows of opportunity may still be open, but passing bills doesn’t appear possible before the end of this year’s legislative session.

It was the second year New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tried to implement marijuana legalization through the legislature.  In New Jersey, marijuana industry ties run deep. Governor Murphy’s first chief of staff was the lobbyist for the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association.

SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) worked for these defeats through its SAM Action division.  Behind the scenes, SAM warns legislators in state and federal governments against marijuana legalization.  SAM does not accept money from the pharmaceuticals industry, as pot lobbyists claim.

Pro-pot politics is faltering in Illinois and Connecticut, even though both states’ governors support legalization.  Governor Pritzker’s cousins invest in cannabis businesses. Senator Richard Durbin, the Illinois NAACP and Illinois Catholic Bishops  oppose legalization.

Learning from mistakes of other states

As Illinois State Representative Marty Moylan said, “It’s been a failed experiment in every other state that has made the move to legalize marijuana.”  He wrote a letter to the Chicago Tribune, “Slow the push for legal pot.” A few days ago, the Chicago Tribune wrote another editorial, also calling for the state to slow down.

Legalization involves advertising and stores which push the public tolerance by locating close to homes and schools. Vermont allows personal possession of two mature marijuana plants, a policy best described as decriminalization.  Although national polls usually don’t give the public the option of decriminalization, decriminalization reflects what most people want when they vote for legalization.

The state capital of Montpelier, Vermont

Vermont’s policy started July 1, 2018 and two months later, Keith Cushman smoked marijuana. drove and caused a fatal crash.  A relative of one of the victims called for a better test to determine whether motorists are impaired by marijuana.  Vermont’s decriminalization does not give the state enough power to test and prevent stoned driving.

Parents Opposed to Pot believes the dangers of using marijuana far outstrip the dangers of an arrest for marijuana possession.  Alex Berenson’s new book, Tell Your Children the Truth about Marijuana, Mental Health and Violence, explains the mental health dangers.

Traffic deaths and violent crimes went up in the first four states to legalize marijuana.   Drunk drivers never went away, and more people began combining alcohol and marijuana before driving.

Big lies permeate  propaganda to legalize marijuana

Legalizers suggest or claim:….

For complete article go to Stepping Back From Marijuana Mayhem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 30th, 2019

CONTACT: Colton Grace [email protected] (864) 492-6719

COLORADO GOVERNOR SIGNS BLATANT GIVEAWAY TO MARIJUANA INDUSTRY INTO LAW

(Denver, CO) – Yesterday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed six bills into law that greatly loosen regulations on the marijuana industry in the state. Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC) spokesman Luke Niforatos released the following statement in response:

\”When Coloradans voted for Amendment 64, we were told the industry would be responsibly regulated to protect us. Since then, the industry has done everything in its power to load our government with allies and roll back those regulations. The governor\’s signature on these bills is just one more example of our state bending to the demands of the marijuana industry.

\”Allowing for home delivery presents several issues, most notably that it directly undermines the will of communities in the state that have banned marijuana sales as they were allowed to under Amendment 64. Signing HB 1230 into law trounces the Clear Indoor Air Act, allowing for use of marijuana in bars, restaurants, and public spaces. This also presents a considerable danger as it could lead to increased impaired drivers on our roads, a scourge our state is already experiencing due to legalization.

\”By allowing marijuana companies to be publicly traded, the governor has effectively signed a blank check to the industry by giving the go ahead to massively increased investment in the industry. This will allow the industry to greatly expand its marketing of kid-friendly, high potency gummies, candies, and ice creams that are fueling skyrocketing rates of emergency room visits and are linked with severe mental illness. It is time for our government to represent the people of Colorado, not Big Marijuana.\”

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About MAC: The Marijuana Accountability Coalition (MAC) is a coalition made up of individuals and organizations united for one common purpose: to fearlessly investigate, expose, challenge, and hold the marijuana industry accountable. If you care about the future of Colorado and holding Big Tobacco 2.0 (The Marijuana Industry) accountable, please join us.

About SAM: Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens opposed to marijuana legalization who want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. SAM has affiliates in more than 30 states.

www.MarijuanaAccountability.co

www.learnaboutsam.org