Marijuana, pot, cannabis, weed, Mary-Jane, reefer. There are a lot of names for the plant enjoyed medicinally and recreationally by so many across the United States and around the world. Another moniker the plant may earn could be that of a climate change fighting crop. Can cannabis help heal both us and the earth? Climate change is happening and its effects are already being seen across the globe. Global temperature rises have been happening for years, and most of the hottest records ever recorded in the past century have been within the previous decade. How can cannabis help in the fight against climate change?
Cannabis Plants are Excellent Carbon Capturers
While they’re still in the ground, cannabis plants absorb a lot of carbon when planted outside. Cannabis cultivators tend to rotate their crops, just as all farmers do, meaning they constantly have different harvests ripening in a cyclical way. Combining crop rotation with the natural carbon absorbing abilities of the cannabis plant, makes outdoor marijuana cultivation an extremely pro-carbon move. Growing cannabis indoors is a popular option, but is a poor climate choice, as it requires a lot of energy usage.
Hemp Offers an Alternative to Many Disposable Products
Plastic is quite a sturdy product, and is useful for lots of applications, plus it’s usually a very cheap material to purchase. However, there is one massive downside to plastic, it doesn’t degrade. Plastic will sit in a landfill, or wherever it ends up, for thousands of years. Many people have been looking for alternatives to plastic.
One viable alternative to plastic is hemp. Hemp consists of strands from the cannabis plant, and it can be used for industrial practices. Hemp has been used to produce a lot of products, but some of the industrial products that are made from hemp the most are:
- Paper
- Ropes
- Paint
- Fabric
- Construction materials
- Fuels
Many of these products are made out of plastic, and are just sitting around in landfills. All The while, new plastic products are being created in factories that are outputting greenhouse gasses. Choosing to purchase and use renewable products made out of hemp can be an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Cannabis is a Sustainable Crop
There are a number of “cash crops” that require an obscene amount of land and water to cultivate them, but cannabis is not one of them. Crops like cotton or almonds require a lot of water to grow, but cannabis requires just a normal amount of water. Fully grown cannabis plants are not very large, and can yield pounds of marijuana. Cannabis is a very sustainable crop.
Interested in Learning More About Marijuana from a Professional in Maryland?
Have a question about cannabis’ role in the fight against climate change? Have any questions at all about marijuana? At Cannaleaf Health, we’ve been providing Marylanders with our medical marijuana services for years, and can help alleviate your pain. We think it’s quite beautiful that cannabis can heal both us and the Earth. Give us a call at (443-800-0670) to learn more about our services, and to ask any questions you may have. We look forward to helping you get your medical marijuana card in Maryland!
