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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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THE BHP WIRE —
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Environmental impact of cannabis cultivation includes all the environmental issues which occur as a result of cannabis cultivation.
Cannabis agriculture is a massive industry in its scope and extent, yet its environmental impact is much less researched than comparable agricultural products produced at this scale.[1] Many countries around the world are liberalizing their cannabis policy which will make the industry grow, and as the industry grows, so does the urgency to respond to special considerations in environmental impact for this industry.[1]
The history of farming cannabis production as an issue of drug use has suppressed discussion about cannabis production as a massive agricultural sector.[2] In places where cannabis is legal to produce, discussing environmental impact is still challenging because so many other issues related to cannabis distract from the conversation.[2]
Indoor cultivation of cannabis is common and research intensive.[3] A 2012 study estimated that 1% of energy production in the United States is for cannabis production, giving cannabis a substantial carbon footprint.[3] That same study could not identify energy analysts or policymakers who had addressed the issue.[3] The study noted that indoor cultivation is mostly a consequence of illegality, and if cannabis were legal, then outdoor cultivation would greatly lower this use of electricity.[3]
A United Nations report compared the environmental impact of cannabis against other drugs and found that cannabis pollutes less with dangerous chemicals.[4] Black market cannabis production does tend to disrupt fragile and remote environments due to the farmers hiding the crop rather than using conventional farmland.[4][5]
Cannabis plants can produce volatile organic compound in great enough amounts to increase the criteria air pollutants in indoor and outdoor environments.[6] This could create an occupational health hazard in areas with large numbers of plants.[6]
Cannabis in California is a frequent focus of study. One study found that cannabis production diverts water from watersheds.[7] Encroachment in public land has been a frequent occurrence.[8] Various legal pressures in California has led some production to be indoors.[9] Getting quality data in California has been a challenge.[10]
Cannabis in comparison to other crops could be an environmental benefit.[11]
There is a trend towards an increase in the number of cultivators who are using sustainable methods for growing cannabis. To improve the soil, they mainly use: special AACT inoculations, growing companion crops, and even grazing goats, which loosen and aerate the soil with their hooves, and their droppings are used as a natural fertilizer.[12]
Most regulated cannabis in the United States is grown indoors. Growing market-quality cannabis indoors requires intensive production conditions supported by a continuous input of electricity. Indoor cannabis cultivation requires climate management to produce optimal growing conditions, including specialized lighting, water management, and HVAC systems. These indoor environmental controls prevent crop loss and optimize yield, but often demand large amounts of electricity. Cannabis cultivation consumed approximately 0.11 percent of all electricity used in the US in 2017, while regulated cultivators used 0.03 percent. However, actual electricity consumption by cannabis cultivators may be much higher— up to and potentially exceeding 1 percent of total US electricity consumption.[13]
Some cannabis cultivators manage their electricity consumption by integrating power generation sources like solar panels. They may also utilize LED lighting and other efficiency measures to lower energy usage. However, energy investments are expensive and significant capital is required up front to integrate.[13]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Environmental impact of cannabis cultivation includes all the environmental issues which occur as a result of cannabis cultivation. Cannabis agriculture is a massive industry in its scope and extent, yet its environmental impact is much less researched than comparable agricultural products produced at this scale. Many countries around the world are liberalizing their cannabis policy which will make the industry grow, and as the industry grows, so does the urgency to respond to special considerations in environmental impact for this industry.
The environmental impacts caused by the production of illicit drugs are an often-neglected topic when analyzing the effects of such substances. However, due to the clandestine nature of illicit drug production, its effects can be highly destructive yet difficult to detect and measure. The consequences differ depending upon the drug being produced, but can be largely categorized into impacts caused by natural drugs or caused by synthetic/semi-synthetic drugs. Natural drugs refer to drugs which are primarily extracted from a natural source, such as cocaine or cannabis. Synthetic drugs are produced from materials that cannot be found in nature, and semi-synthetic drugs are made from both natural and synthetic materials, such as methamphetamine and MDMA. Drug policy is a large determinant of how organisations produce drugs and thereby, how their processes affect the environment, thus prompting government bodies to analyze the current drug policy. It is inevitable that solutions to such environmental impacts are synonymous with solutions to overall illicit drug production. However, many have noted the reactionary measures taken by government bodies and elevated the need for preventive measures instead.
The environmental effects of pesticides describe the broad series of consequences of using pesticides. The unintended consequences of pesticides is one of the main drivers of the negative impact of modern industrial agriculture on the environment. Pesticides, because they are toxic chemicals meant to kill pest species, can affect non-target species, such as plants, animals and humans. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, because they are sprayed or spread across entire agricultural fields. Other agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, can also have negative effects on the environment. The negative effects of pesticides are not just in the area of application. Runoff and pesticide drift can carry pesticides into distant aquatic environments or other fields, grazing areas, human settlements and undeveloped areas. Other problems emerge from poor production, transport, storage and disposal practices. Over time, repeat application of pesticides increases pest resistance, while its effects on other species can facilitate the pest's resurgence. Alternatives to heavy use of pesticides, such as integrated pest management, and sustainable agriculture techniques such as polyculture mitigate these consequences, without the harmful toxic chemical application. Environmental modelling indicates that globally over 60% of global agricultural land (~24.5 million km²) is "at risk of pesticide pollution by more than one active ingredient", and that over 30% is at "high risk" of which a third are in high-biodiversity regions. Each pesticide or pesticide class comes with a specific set of environmental concerns. Such undesirable effects have led many pesticides to be banned, while regulations have limited and/or reduced the use of others. The global spread of pesticide use, including the use of older/obsolete pesticides that have been banned in some jurisdictions, has increased overall.
The environmental effects of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has been of concern since at least the 1990s. PPCPs include substances used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons and the products used by agribusiness to boost growth or health of livestock. More than twenty million tons of PPCPs are produced every year. The European Union has declared that pharmacological residues with the potential for contamination of water and the soil are "priority substances".[3] PPCPs have been detected in waters throughout the world. More research is needed to evaluate the risks of toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation, but current research shows that personal care products affect the environment and other species, such as coral reefs and fish. PPCPs encompass environmental persistent pharmaceutical pollutants (EPPPs) and are one type of persistent organic pollutants. They are not removed in conventional sewage treatment plants but require a fourth treatment stage which not many plants have. In 2022, the most comprehensive study of pharmacological pollution of the world's rivers showed that it threatens "environmental and/or human health in more than a quarter of the studied locations". It investigated 1052 sampling sites along 258 rivers in 104 countries, representing pollution of rivers serving 470 million people. It showed that "the most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical product manufacture" and listed the most frequently detected and concentrated pharmaceutical products.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
