Marijuana production uses 1 percent of all U.S. electricity
Unlike the smokable plant, marijuana production ain’t green.
The driver of this van has no idea he's killing baby polar bears.
Marijuana has a Godzilla-sized carbon footprint, with indoor production consuming one percent of all electricity produced in the United States, according to a study.
The resulting carbon dioxide emissions from all those power plants is equivalent to operating 3 million badly painted Volkswagen Microbuses (see photo).
Here’s some more interesting facts:
* Energy costs account for 25 percent of marijuana wholesale costs.
* The energy required to produce one joint is equal to running a 100-watt light bulb for 17 hours.
* A four-by-four-foot lighted “production module” uses the same energy as 30 refrigerators.
Of course, after reading all that, you’re probably wondering how much in energy costs the U.S. could save if we just let people grow marijuana outdoors.
The answer? $5 billion, or 2.5 million pounds of weed.
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115 comments Add your comment
Angry Goat
April 18th, 2011
8:40 am
More hate toward hippies with bs propaganda. U should note that indoor cultivation began as direct reaction to aggressive, civil rights violating law enforcement using planes, helicopters and satellite images to spot pot growing. Air force uses half of US oil per year. War on drugs and Terror is much more nefarious and energy wasteful than humble hippy bus. Get it right, bourgeois pigs!
paul
April 19th, 2011
11:33 am
@ daniel, stoned again and not true…the general rule is 100 watts per square foot. So adequate, ideal lighting for a 4 x 4 space would be 1600 watts. 4ft x 4ft = 16sq ft. 100w per sq ft = 1600 watts. now with some mylar or reflective material in a space that small, you could easily settle with 1000w as long as you made sure you rotated your plants to get the most light possible. I personally use cooler, florescent grow lights in an enclosed cabinet (roughly 2′ x 3′) and a 200 w light is more than ample. I grow fruits and vegetables both indoors and outdoors so I don’t use much electricity on grow lighting.
ROMBO
April 20th, 2011
11:03 pm
Watts up with these weed haters!
I’m shocked to learn of volt I see is an current widely held distortion!
North
April 21st, 2011
8:04 am
While the energy use to grow an illegal product should not be a major factor in legalizing it, there are truly no reasons marijuana/hemp should be illegal. It is no more dangerous than alcohol or cigarettes. It has proven medical benefits. All you Republicans whining about the welfare state that has taken over people’s lives should get on the bus for legalization!
North
April 21st, 2011
8:08 am
Quit, TRUE CHRISTIAN, or some idiot Republican who believes Steven Colbert is a true conservative will think you’re actually serious!