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There are as many ways to use cannabis as there are cannabis consumers.\u00a0Unfortunately, most of those consumption methods have a major downside: They create a bunch of waste in the process.<\/p>\n
Cannabis business attorney Sylvia Chi says the most concerning\u00a0environmental issue\u00a0for the cannabis consumer is\u00a0excessive packaging,\u00a0especially when you compare cannabis packaging to non-medicated food packaging.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are definitely better ways to do it,\u201d Chi says. \u201cThere aren\u2019t good ways to reuse or recycle; most dispensaries say they can\u2019t accept used jars, not to mention all the other\u00a0packaging<\/a>. What are you supposed to do with a huge stash of glass jars? Make candles?\u201d<\/p>\n Chi also questions the usefulness of recycling in general, as recent upheavals in the market have lead to more recyclables ending up in landfills.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n According to a July 2018 report from the EPA, American citizens recycle about 34.7 percent of waste that can be recycled. The United States usually sends about half of that plastic overseas to be recycled, but as of Jan. 1, China stopped accepting foreign waste \u2014 thereby rerouting millions of tons of recyclable products into the landfill or the ocean this year.<\/p>\n However, one company called PL28<\/a>\u00a0is actively cleaning plastic from the oceans and turning it into packaging for the cannabis industry. Jayson Adam Stewart, founder and CEO of PL28, says that his company chose to focus on the cannabis industry first because \u201cwe have an opportunity right now to shape how the industry grows, so bad habits\u00a0don\u2019t become too ingrained to fix.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOcean plastic costs about the same as virgin plastic and 90 percent of plastic can be replaced with ocean plastic, so there really is no excuse,\u201d Stewart says.\u00a0\u201cConsumers need to hold brands responsible for their choice of materials.\u201d<\/p>\n Chi agrees that cannabis consumers have the purchasing power to reward companies attempting to fix pollution problems.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a consumer, I prefer to patronize companies with environmentally friendly practices, but am also wary about greenwashing,\u201d she says, citing the practice of companies who attempt to appear sustainable despite acting otherwise. \u201cAs an attorney, I know that even though the law prohibits making deceptive claims and requires substantiation for environmental claims, lots of companies still get away with claims that are not sufficiently specific or qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n Fighting greenwashing is especially difficult in the cannabis industry because the federal government refuses to certify cannabis products through its various environmental certification programs. While there are some private certification programs that have emerged without oversight from the government, individual states have been slowly building their own certification programs.<\/p>\n In\u00a0California, for example, the state is required to establish an organic certification program<\/a> by 2021 that\u2019s comparable to the National Organic Program. Until then, Chi says, \u201cconsumers will mostly have to take it on faith when grower claim they\u2019re using organic-like production methods.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond thinking about how your cannabis is packaged and certified, here are five other ways to ensure you are a sustainable cannabis consumer:<\/p>\n Using a hempwick helps to optimize the smoking experience and reduce the use of disposable lighters. Photo Gracie Malley for Cannabis Now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Purchasing cannabis from a local source makes sense for a number of reasons.\u00a0Similar to\u00a0why many environmentalists recommend eating local food, by purchasing local cannabis, more money stays\u00a0within your community, the product is less likely to be spoiled or tampered with and you\u2019ve reduced the distance the cannabis had to be shipped, which promotes better air quality and reduces pollution. Buying (or bartering) locally also can support small, organic farmers, making it less likely they\u00a0will\u00a0need to become part of a larger company to survive. Finally, you might be fortunate enough to get to know the product\u2019s story and\u00a0develop a relationship with your neighbors who produced it. Strong communities of growers and patients are crucial for keeping medicine affordable.<\/p>\n Many states now have laws in place that allow medical or adult-use consumers to grow their own supply. If you are not able to\u00a0grow your own<\/a>, either due to physical limitations or because it is\u00a0not allowed\u00a0where you live, your state likely still allows patients to delegate this delicate task to a\u00a0caregiver.<\/u>\u00a0Grow outdoors whenever possible to\u00a0reduce energy use.<\/u>\u00a0There is\u00a0no shortage\u00a0of online and print resources on the topic of environmentally friendly growing methods. Keep in mind there are sustainable options for water supply, light sources, soil and pesticides.<\/p>\n Disposable vape pens and cartridges are one of the most convenient ways to get cannabinoids into your system, but they create hoards of toxic waste and are not necessarily healthier than smoking.\u00a0Pre-filled vape pens are\u00a0not regulated\u00a0for safety and the heating mechanism can transform solvents, flavoring agents and additives into carcinogens and dangerous toxins. Until recycling programs for vape batteries and cartridges are more widespread, consider purchasing a refillable vape. While some cities such as San Francisco are also starting to spread awareness about\u00a0vape waste and are pushing to hold manufacturers accountable, it\u2019s best to avoid disposable vapes until the vape recycling is available in your area.<\/p>\n Have you ever thought about the long-term health effects of inhaling butane from lighters or burned sulfur from matches? In addition to the health risks, lighters also emit flint powder and destroy terpenes. The solution? Hempwick!<\/u>\u00a0This is hemp twine dipped in beeswax that burns at a safer and more delicious temperature, plus it reduces how many disposable lighters end up in the landfill.<\/p>\n Thanks to federal prohibition, marijuana cannot be officially\u00a0referred\u00a0to as an organic product because the USDA does not yet recognize it as a legitimate crop. Instead, for cannabis producers,\u00a0Clean Green Certified<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0the next best option to the official organic seal. Since 2004, Clean Green Certified has been inspecting and approving producers who use sustainable, natural, organic practices. Until marijuana is legalized on a federal level, the cannabis industry will continue to innovate on its own and build its own sustainable systems \u2014 and conscious consumers should do their part to reward those companies and cultivators taking the extra step of respecting the earth.<\/p>\n TELL US,\u00a0<\/b>what steps do you take to smoke sustainably?<\/p>\n Originally published in Issue 33 of Cannabis Now.\u00a0LEARN MORE<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n The post 5 Simple Ways to Be a Sustainable Cannabis Consumer<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
There are as many ways to use cannabis as there are cannabis consumers.\u00a0Unfortunately, most of those consumption methods have a major downside: They create a bunch of waste in the process. Cannabis business attorney Sylvia Chi says the most concerning\u00a0environmental issue\u00a0for the cannabis consumer is\u00a0excessive packaging,\u00a0especially when you compare cannabisContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":31440,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,6767,99,759,85,6071,2676,6768,6769,2765,6770],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31439"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31441,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31439\/revisions\/31441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n1) Purchase From a Local Source<\/h4>\n
2) Grow Your Own Outdoors<\/h4>\n
3) Avoid Vape Waste<\/h4>\n
4) Smoke Sustainably<\/h4>\n
5) Buy Clean Green Certified Cannabis<\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: 5 Simple Ways to Be a Sustainable Cannabis Consumer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"