Like many commercial crops, cannabis cultivation can be water intensive. Increased production in pot-friendly stateshas been flagged by many as a water and electricity usage issue, especially in light of oft-strained natural resources. For this reason, some of the Western states have begun to regulate cannabis businesses water and power usage. In the case of Oregon,environmental impacthas been a key consideration for some time.
Last year, the Oregon legislature passedHB 3400,anomnibus bill legalizing recreational marijuana. In that historic law, the legislature called fora task forceto assess water and electricity use by cannabis cultivators.The aptly named Cannabis Environmental Best Practices TaskForce has been busy, meeting five times between April and August of 2016. Recently, it published its Working Document, which will soon be finalized into a proper report and submitted to the legislature.Oregonhopes these findings will serve as a model to other states with similar concerns.
Thosewho testifiedat the Task Force meetings represent a wide range of parties vested in Oregon cannabis, including growers, private sector service providers, and public utilities. Based on their testimony and other research, the Task Forceidentified best practices for cannabis cultivation, and identifiedways stakeholders can encourage responsible cultivation practices for new industry entrants. According to the Task Force, Oregon should follow four distinct priorities to addresstheenvironmental impact of cannabisproducers:
- Support access to education and technical assistance related to cultivation practices;
- Support the creation of voluntary third party certification programs;
- Encourage research into cannabis issues, including environmental best practices, health, and other aspects of the cannabis sector; and
- Investigate water regulations for small-scale producers.
This guidance demonstrates progressive, institutional concern with creating a sustainable medical and recreational cannabis industry. It seems likely that the state will adopt these recommendations. As to thecannabis cultivators themselves, they would be wise to proactively comply with any best practices identified by the Task Force and adopted by the legislature. Not only ...
