Compared to other agricultural products, cannabis is fairly environmentally friendly. However, many cannabis producers are working to resolve some major sustainability challenges the industry faces. These efforts are all the more important as the industry continues to grow exponentially each year. Sustainable cannabis farming comes down to three main challenges: water usage, energy consumption, and waste management.
Water Usage
A marijuana legalization initiative in Ohio is moving forward. However, the state might still face hurdles because of the coronavirus outbreak. In US states, marijuana legalization initiatives have been increasing despite the vaping crisis and the FDA’s hesitation on CBD products. In Ohio, marijuana reform advocates even put a marijuana legalization measure on the November 2020 ballot.
In a world suddenly disrupted by coronavirus (COVID-19) and its fallout — anxiety, the market free fall, increasing instances of self-quarantine and a consumer stampede every time hand sanitizer reappears on store shelves — the cannabis startup universe is no exception.
“The way that we are changing our business is that we are not doing live meetings or attending or speaking at events,” shared Wendy Robbins, half of the entrepreneurial duo (with Karen Paull) behind Amazon Prime’s The Marijuana Show.
A bill addressing hemp farming has turned into a round of end-of-session horse trading, where the legislative chambers have gone back and forth about whose version of a bill should come out on top.
In this fight, it all has to do with seeds.
Following the passage of the 2014 federal farm bill, hemp growing became allowed under certain circumstances by research institutions and state departments of agriculture..
There's never been a more dangerous time to invest in cannabis than right now. Pot stocks are plummeting and companies are running low on cash, making consolidation and bankruptcies inevitable in the near future.
Marijuana legalization initiatives are still taking place in US states despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the global markets and the economy. Countries and the World Health Organization are trying to contain the virus. Meanwhile, legalization efforts continue in US states. Mississippi has been trying to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot. However, lawmakers have a new strategy to make marijuana legalization difficult in the state.
As more European countries impose nationwide shutdown orders, leaving all stores except food and pharmacy outlets shuttered, cannabis stores are experiencing a dramatic surge in sales this weekend.
Tensions are running high in Los Angeles over coronavirus-related health concerns, the cancelation of numerous public events and the new normal of working from home. Local cannabis companies and delivery services say they're seeing an uptick in business in these trying times. Angelenos are turning to CBD and THC products to combat anxieties and stocking up like they are with bottled water and toilet paper.
At the urging of caregivers, state lawmakers have stripped a department-sponsored medical marijuana reform bill of provisions to ban small extraction labs, require federal background checks, limit plant size and institute fines for willful violations.
On Thursday, WBRC reported that the Alabama Senate cleared Senate Bill 165. The bill will create the Compassion Act, which legalizes medical marijuana. The bill has listed several qualifying medical conditions and symptoms. Patients suffering from these medical conditions can access medical marijuana products after receiving approval from qualified doctors. A doctor can only prescribe marijuana products after all the other methods have been exhausted.
