House GOP urges Democrats to examine environmental impacts of marijuana legislation

EXCLUSIVE — A pair of Republican lawmakers are urging Senate Democrats to conduct research into the environmental impact of their proposed marijuana legalization bill, citing concerns about high emissions that would result from widespread cultivation.

The legalization of the drug in certain states has resulted in increased demand for marijuana products, causing states to ramp up production and expand their operations to indoor facilities. However, this has prompted concerns among some lawmakers who argue this increased energy consumption will have detrimental effects on the country’s energy systems, as well as the environment.

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“As Congress debates whether to advance marijuana legalization, the American people must have a better understanding of the environmental costs of this rapidly growing industry,” wrote Reps. Earl Carter (R-GA) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO) in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner. “If the Administration seeks to reduce emissions and protect our environment as aggressively as it has previously committed, we must have a comprehensive view of where emissions and other pollution occurs, as they will likely only grow.”

The letter, which is backed by the political group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, raises concerns about the effect marijuana legalization would have on the nation’s energy grid, citing research that predicts nationwide legalization would increase electricity demand by 65% over the next 10 years.

About 80% of marijuana cultivation occurs in indoor facilities, which would only be expected to increase if the drug were legalized. This raises energy concerns, the lawmakers argue, as it has been calculated that indoor cultivation facilities can take up far more energy than the average home.

An indoor facility may be equipped with lighting intensities that are similar to hospital operating rooms, which far exceed the recommended reading light levels for normal homes, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures. That, paired with the facilities’ temperature or fan speed changes, increases the energy output of a four-plant lighting module to use as much electricity as 29 refrigerators, the report found.

“Unfortunately, these reports do not account for the extensive illegal market that still exists and does not face energy or emission regulations that legal operations do,” the lawmakers wrote.

Additionally, marijuana cultivation requires significant amounts of water, far outpacing other produce, the lawmakers argued. The amount of water needed for marijuana cultivation is roughly double what is needed to grow produce such as maize, soybeans, wheat, and wine grapes, according to a 2021 study by the Journal of Cannabis Research.

In early August, Senate Democrats unveiled their long-awaited marijuana legalization bill, which seeks to remove the drug from the Controlled Substances Act and leave legalization up to the individual states. The bill would also expunge all prior federal criminal convictions related to marijuana, among other measures.

However, Carter and Lamborn are urging Senate Democrats to conduct further research before pushing the bill through Congress. As part of their letter addressed to the Department of Energy, Interior Department, Energy Information Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency, the lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to answer several key questions in a detailed report by Nov. 30.

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These questions include information on how marijuana cultivation affects state energy levels and emissions, what anticipated growth of energy usage would be expected from marijuana legalization, and what impacts marijuana cultivation would have on states’ water supplies.

“The demand for prioritizing electricity uses and for increased energy efficiency is a growing concern for the American public,” Carter and Lamborn wrote. “As these strains come to fruition, the potential for capacity shortages and blackouts only rises … It is essential that the nation understand the burden marijuana cultivation puts on the electrical grid and the environment.”