Summary: The Impact Of Marijuana On The Environment

Marijuana can be defined as dried leaves, flowers, and stems of the Cannabis sativa plant. It has affected the environment in many ways. Marijuana growers don’t realize they’re taking the water from creeks and leaving little to none water for the fish causing species to be endangered. Other species are also becoming endangered due to the marijuana growers in forests spreading pesticides to protect their plants from wood rats. These pesticides and rat poisoning wash into our waterways and underground water. Growing marijuana indoors also impacts the environment, from the huge amount of lights and energy needed to grow the plants. Overall, legalizing marijuana would have a negative impact on the environment and the U.S population.
Growing marijuana farms requires a lot of water which leads to endangered species. A scientist with California’s North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board says, “I went out on a site yesterday where there was an active water diversion providing water to 15 different groups of people or individuals”, many of which were growers, continues, “The stream is going to dry up this year.” The water is important to the endangered species such as Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and steelhead. During each season each marijuana plant needs at least six gallons of water. Water use and other actions by the marijuana industry is a threat for salmon of North California and Southern Oregon. Actions include clear cutting forests to create marijuana plantations and building roads that send sediment into salmon streams. Legalizing marijuana would require more water for marijuana plants and lead to extinction of species living in the water. Species such as the pacific fisher are also becoming endangered due to the pesticides marijuana growers spread to protect their plants.
In the article “Marijuana Crops in California Threaten Forests and Wildlife” the author says, “It took the death of a small, rare member of the weasel family… The animal, a Pacific fisher, had been poisoned by an anticoagulant in rat poisons like d-Con… a scientist… concluded that the contamination began when marijuana growers in deep forests spread d-Con to protect their plants from wood rats.” In order to grow marijuana and protect it from rodents destroying the crops farmers use pesticides. This changes the ecosystem and the pesticides can kill other animals. The pesticides can also contaminate the water supplies and soil. A study in 2013 found that rat poison in illegal growing operations was making its way through the ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada and killing off wildlife. (Kathleen, 2013). To complete legalizing marijuana would affect the environment because marijuana requires pesticides to be grown and pesticides kill the wild life. Indoor marijuana growing involves a lot of energy and lights. According to Evan Mills, staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and consultant at Energy Associates says,
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