Pubdate: Fri, 11 Jul 2014
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 2014 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/625HdBMl
Website: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/index.htm
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n567/a01.html

CONSIDER MARIJUANA'S ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Does the federal Bureau of Reclamation believe that marijuana will 
magically cease to exist if it denies water to farmers who grow it in 
states where it is legal? This latest example of federal reefer 
madness is bad news for the environment ("Fighting pot with water: Column").

We hear a lot about climate change, yet no one in the federal 
government seems to care that one of the biggest cash crops in the 
country is cultivated in secret suburban basements with artificial 
lights and massive carbon footprints. What goes on above ground is no 
improvement.

One day, legitimate farmers will produce marijuana by the ton under 
natural sunlight. When that day comes, the plant will plummet in 
value. This is important. Financial incentives drive destructive 
cultivation practices. Mexican drug cartels don't sneak into national 
forests to cultivate cucumbers and tomatoes. The sooner the federal 
government allows states to treat the marijuana plant as a legal 
agricultural commodity, the better.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy; Washington, D.C.
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