Colorados legal cannabis farms emit more carbon than its coal mines

Cannabis is often grown indoors Cappi Thompson/Getty ImagesLegal cannabis production in Colorado emits more greenhouse gases than the state’s coal mining industry, researchers analysing the sector’s energy use have found. AdvertisementHailey Summers and her colleagues at Colorado State University have quantified and analysed the greenhouse gas emissions produced by cannabis growers. This means that the majority of cannabis production emissions come from climate-control systems and high-powered lights that take the place of the sun. The team suggests that moving to growing cannabis outdoors in greenhouses could lower the energy requirements and reduce emissions. Illegal cannabis production is also likely to be more highly emitting, he says.