The legalization of weed has had a whole range of impacts on society with many positive, and some – well, less positive.

Local economies saw growth while crime rates related to marijuana dropped. 

This results in less demand for law enforcement resources. People struggling with addictions now have access to a gateway to normalcy. There are many wonderful impacts of legalization, but what about the cannabis waste?

With the effects of climate change more apparent each year, any industry’s environmental effects will impact the lives of people. With that being said there are positive impacts to account for too.

Plastic waste remains a huge problem across a plethora of industries. But childproof plastic containers prevent small children and animals from eating the plant and getting poisoned.

Cannabis is toxic to dogs and cats – it can even be fatal! In rare events, cannabis toxicity has also caused infants to slip into a coma. Clearly, the childproof packaging serves an important purpose, despite its environmental drawbacks. 

But packaging isn’t the only element of cannabis waste that interferes with nature.

When somebody mentions cannabis waste, the pictures that usually come to mind are of things like baggies, roaches and containers. While these are examples of consumer-level cannabis waste, there is a lot more waste to take into consideration when it comes to the production of marijuana on a bigger scale.

Cannabis has another environmental effect because of the terpenes it contains. 

Terpenes are the part of the plant that handles its fragrance and are present in orange peels, lavender, pine and of course, cannabis.

There are about 120 terpenes present in cannabis. Depending on the types of terpenes present, the cannabis will treat the user differently – this is known as the ‘entourage effect’.

The thing about terpenes is that while they benefit us, they are not necessarily good for our environment.

Terpenes that are released from large crops of outdoor pants mix with ozone and cause volatility. This has led some to wonder if this by-product of the industry has led to Denver’s recent ozone problems.  

Ozone is no joke ! Problems carry a host of problems to the general population including increased asthma attacks, hospital admissions, increased daily deaths and more.

Indoor grow shows can remove the terpenes by using carbon filters. More sophisticated UV systems are needed for large operations. These of course require more energy, but as green energy becomes more prevalent, the environmental effects and subsequent societal effects will become less. 

So, at a high level, cannabis waste has some far-reaching effects, but they are usually felt subtly at the individual level.

A direct impact has been the legislation around disposal – the “50/50 rule”. This states that any cannabis product has to be broken down until it is unrecognizable, and mixed with at least 50% non-cannabis waste to be disposed of. 

This is a pretty mild impact, but cannabis waste has become far more invasive in both peoples’ lives and bodies.

Of course, with legalization and regulation came packaging and labelling requirements.

This meant that products needed to be kept in approved child-proof containers – like pharmaceuticals.

In California, there are 2 kinds of childproof containers – single-use (bags that are resistant until ripped open), and multiple use. The packaging also needs to be tamper-evident, resealable and opaque.

This brings us back to plastics and unfortunately, the worst kind – single use.

In this article, just as in real life, they just don’t go away. Plastics are killing the oceans that we need to survive. The legalization and popularization of cannabis, it is sure to be a large contributor.

It’s a massive generalization, but a reasonable assumption to think that at least a small majority of people who enjoy cannabis have some appreciation for the environment.

It’s kind of painful to buy a beautiful plant that is wrapped in so much thick plastic, isn’t it?

For some, this has led them to invest in growing their own, for others presented a reason to quit.

The plastics, however, are a real problem and like mother nature, we are not immune to their effects. Microplastics are in our water system already and in us. 

People eat around 2000 microplastics a week according to the WWF. So how much waste does each individual contribute to this in a year?

This depends on how the person uses cannabis. How much they use, sure – but also how much they buy at a time. Of course, most people buy small amounts around $100 or under at a time which results in more packages being used and thrown into the landfill. 

Say a regular smoker buys 3.5 grams every 5th day and throws them out. That is 73 containers a year in the landfill per person!

Buying larger quantities at a time will produce less waste. But there are even better, eco-friendlier options available. Growing cannabis using eco-friendly techniques like hydroponics and filtration systems is one way, but this requires energy. 

Setting up a solar system is a dream of many home growers, but unfortunately, not everybody has space or money to dedicate to such a venture.

Cannabis users who want to make responsible decisions can do their research and find out which producers are leading the way in eco-friendly cannabis production. Find dispensaries that have a recycling program (like Ecomeds) and that use biodegradable containers or better materials.

Another way that consumers can help is to make good choices. Instead of buying and burning paper products like pre-rolled joints and blunts – use glass. Not only is it less carcinogenic, but smokers also save money on the cannabis from the roach they would likely have thrown away.

Ecomeds.com is an online dispensary that specializes in eco-friendly cannabis products and offers a free cannabis waste recycling program to its customers. By using alternative packaging materials to plastics and making the recycling process easier for consumers, they are working to reduce the environmental footprint of an industry that is helping so many people.

La entrada The Environmental Impact of Cannabis Waste se publicó primero en Ecomeds.