The Negative Effects Of Marijuana

The numerous effects of marijuana on our environment shape our society and their response to it. With the expansion of its use and education of its effects, marijuana is becoming more socially accepted around the United States, and the negative stigma surrounding it is dissipating. Marijuana can be produced by “squatters in national forests, hydroponic operators in homes and warehouses, industrial-scale operations on private land, or conscientious mom-and-pop farmers” (Zuckerman). The most common ways of farming today are: organic, outdoor, and indoor. Organic farmers have more inconveniences to deal with, such as unwanted pests, like spiders, mites and poisons. These challenges often drive farmers to use commercial pesticides, which are significantly
This threat was discovered by police raids when rodent poison was found within the plants. This breakthrough caused producers to keep their farms out in the open, rather than hiding them in back-country clearings or shipping containers. Marijuana farms on public land often spread chemical fertilizers and poisons into the wildlife; therefore, the negative effects of outdoor marijuana gardens drives farmers to grow indoors (Zuckerman). Some indoor farmers grow marijuana using natural light but use generators to power the fans ventilating their greenhouses. Indoor growing is responsible for more serious damage, by being high maintenance and requiring lights, fans and pumps. On a local level, indoor marijuana production is blocking climate stabilization efforts, which aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions (Zuckerman). Marijuana farming also has serious impacts on our water system, such as causing shrunken muddy streams, rivers with overwhelming algae, silt coated creeks, and wild lands tainted with chemical poisons, caused by contaminated soil. Marijuana farms are not regulated due to their illegal status, which leads to serious effects on the ecosystem
More thorough marijuana product testing is becoming a requirement for legalized marijuana markets, meaning that consumers are better informed about the marijuana and have knowledge of its environmental effects (Marijuana facts). The recent marijuana boom shows no signs of slowing down and once these farms expand to a certain scale, it becomes hard to operate in a sustainable way. The public support for legalizing marijuana has been rising; it has risen from 12 percent to almost 50 percent from 1969-2005 (Heuvel). Today, marijuana is the most popular and easily accessible illegal drug in the United States (Marijuana