The Stench of Marijuana - Pot poses a threat to Wyoming’s great outdoors

by Wyoming Liberty Group

Forget, for the moment, the question of whether marijuana is bad for your health. (It is.)

Let's face it: Some people will want to do things that might hurt them, like jumping into volcanoes, or smoking pot. But consider this: What about our environment? What about the great natural beauty of Wyoming, our pride and joy? Are we willing to sacrifice our sweeping lands and majestic mountains and clean air and crystal waterways—all part of our deeply held cowboy culture? Are we okay giving way to the stench and toxicity of marijuana?

The answer is yes, if you're the greedy pro-pot forces who, over the past several years, have been trying to crack into the lucrative market in Wyoming, where marijuana remains illegal. During that time, the pot industry has tried to confuse the public debate in Wyoming about the health effects of their drug, arguing that marijuana is good for you, that it's medicine. Nothing, by the way, could be further from the truth. But more on that in a moment.

Thankfully, our elected officials in Cheyenne haven't been misled by the pro-pot propaganda. The state Senate wisely recently rejected an ill-conceived bill about marijuana, while the governor shrewdly signed into law a measure that will restrict access to different forms of the mind-altering drug. But the adjournment of the legislative session doesn't mark the end of the marijuana fight in Wyoming. Not even close.

Marijuana has grown rapidly into a $30-plus billion business in the United States, as other states have legalized pot in recent years. As a result, there are understandable concerns about the health effects of marijuana, which can cause a host of serious health problems, such as respiratory illnesses, hallucinations, nausea and repeated vomiting. But the health debate often overlooks the massive environmental impact of marijuana, which has received much less attention in the media.

Officials at the highest levels of government are acutely aware of the dangers of marijuana to our environment. In fact, for instance, the drug czar—the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Trump—made it absolutely clear during a meeting that he was concerned about how drug cartels are using public lands in the United States to grow marijuana illegally, causing significant environmental damage.

As an example, the drug czar showed photographs of plots of land in California where the cartels are harvesting marijuana, using hazardous pesticides and other dangerous toxins. He was making another important point: That the legalization of marijuana in parts of the country like California isn't dampening the black market for pot. No. Legalization is fanning the flames of the drug cartels to make more of the mind-altering product.

As it turns out, officials in California estimate that more than two-thirds of the illegal marijuana market is grown on public lands. One report indicated that 90 percent of those illegal marijuana farms raided was found with traces of carbofuran, a dangerous pesticide that can burn skin and eyes.

"These places are toxic garbage dumps," said one environmental expert.

Think about what that would mean for Wyoming, if marijuana were to invade our lands. But if that isn't scary enough, consider this: Indoor marijuana grow operations emit as much c02—carbon dioxide—as about 3.3 million cars on the roads, according to researchers. Imagine the awful impact of that odorless, colorless gas on Wyoming and Wyomingites—the air pollution, not to mention respiratory illnesses.

There's more.

According to research, the cultivation of marijuana is almost four times more energy intensive than oil or coal production, an industry that we know something about in Wyoming. What's more, experts anticipate that marijuana production will only increase energy consumption; for instance, electricity demand is projected to increase by 65 percent over the next decade as a result of rising marijuana production.

Outdoor marijuana farms are already consuming huge amounts of another precious resource—water. For example, in California—where water is a precious commodity—pot operations use nearly 30 million gallons of water a year.

"The widespread illegal cultivation contributes to water depletion and conflict over water and has other bad environmental consequences," according to an article from the Brookings Institution think tank.

Think about that. It's bad enough that marijuana can significantly hurt our health. But imagine the devastating consequences on the health of Wyoming's environment.