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
Drugs sell on tv late nite legaly
April 15th, 2011
3:51 pm
Bobby needs a splif!
that guy
April 15th, 2011
3:58 pm
To all the ppl before me. I am going to do some math, and not really show the work, but it makes sense, I promise! 1%=5B, so yearly avg is like a 500B dollars. Avg Lights are 400-1000W. tents like described use a 400-600w lamp.Most of the big grows (in cali) are either outdoor, or from smaller rooms, I.E neirborhood guy with a tent. all the other, which will be the smalles group would be the warehouses. Using multiple, upon multiple 1000W lamps. They make up for maybe 1% of the market. So, this equals a lot of product getting grown, A LOT! All over the place, your neighbors, teachers, employees, EVERYONE! It is not illegal because it gets you high, doesnt really get you high after the first few times anyway. It is illegal because it has the ability to put a lot of big industry out of business. That is all…
Nay Thin Deal
April 15th, 2011
4:44 pm
I don’t smoke (anymore). But I believe in democracy.
headley lamar
April 15th, 2011
4:48 pm
You wanna balance the budget.
1. Make marijuana legal and tax it
2. Release all non violent criminals in jail on marijuana related crimes.
Wont take very long.
Cannabis is Good
April 15th, 2011
5:29 pm
Actually cannabis production offsets carbon when done organically outdoors via sunlight; because of the immoral, tyrannical, fascist (literal use of the term there) prohibition, growers do it indoors. The prohibition is not green… the prohibition is one of the worst civil rights abuses in US history.
barb
April 15th, 2011
6:24 pm
leagalizing pot makes more sense than adding taxes to things we already pay too much for. the revenue and job created by legalization are endless and worth billions all which could go to help this country, easy the suffering for the sick, and understanding that drinking alcholic drinks can lead to death in just one session of binge drinking, it is impossible to die from smoking weed, you might get hungry or sleepy and really relaxed but in the morning there is no hang-over, no vomiting, so missing work because i had to many joints the night before, unlike the drinker you wont smell the alcohol on my breath because i dont need it and my choice for relaxation only lasts a few hours not at least 8 just so i dont have to eat breath mints to hide my habits from my boss.
Not true
April 15th, 2011
6:50 pm
TO DANIEL, I never said a whole house, I said a 4×4 space can be done with 600 watts or less.
It was the research paper that claimed that a 4×4 “module”(whatever that means) requires the same energy as 30 refrigerators, or about 24,000 watts. Yes a grow house might use that much wattage, but a 4×4 space(like in a personal grow) no…not true. 600 watts(or less if you use LEDs or HO T5 lights)
Kush
April 15th, 2011
7:16 pm
The only reason its illegal is cause the gov’t cant control or tax it. The states out West have it figured out, legalize it. The 5-0 have bigger and worse drugs to worry about like Heroin and Meth. Hell its so petty anymore, in some states its the same charge as a speeding ticket! The West is the Best…..
rick day
April 15th, 2011
8:35 pm
not going to wade through the comments, but statistically speaking 100% of what was used as assumption were just that…ASSUMPTIONS.
There is no way to do anything but take W.A.G.s at that number.
Even if it were half the number of .5%, cannabis hemp was designed by our Creator to grow outdoors, in abundance. The obvious solution to clandestine indoor growing is replacing prohibition with a “restrict and tax” model of control.
rick day
April 15th, 2011
8:37 pm
Also, your assumption that the photo image of the person with the VW mini-van either uses, (or an even greater reach), grows cannabis.
Stereotype much? In journalism, we call that ‘low hanging fruit’.