It is true that the usage of drugs, no matter legal or illegal, is harmful to the user and others around them. But what’s an even bigger concern is the environmental impact of drug production. Since the legalization of cannabis, its production has increased to unimaginable numbers that now it has become a threat to the environment. Not just cannabis, but other drugs also have their share of harming the environment.
Let’s know more about how drug production negatively affects the environment.
Negative Effects of Drug Production on the Environment
We might not see it, but the damage is already there. Drugs not only harm the user and people around them but also affects the environment. Here’s how it happens:
- Carbon emissions
Keeping the cannabis plant in consideration, growing and producing it requires one to burn a lot of electricity, especially when it’s grown indoors. The studies show that growing an ounce of cannabis indoors requires just as much electricity as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gas.
- Water use
The cannabis plant has unique needs for survival. This also includes excess water. A single plant requires around 8 to 10 gallons of water a day to grow all green and healthy. Thus, with an increase in cannabis cultivation, the water shortage has also risen to a noticeable amount.
- Deforestation
Not just cannabis, but some drugs are derived from plants and to grow them, one needs a huge spread of cultivable land. For this, the easiest way is to cut down the forests. As the need for drugs increase, the producers cut down more and more trees to expand their drug production. All of this adds up to deforestation.
These are just a few of the side effects of drug production. But what we need to focus more on is reducing the demand for drugs. This can only happen when every citizen is free of addiction. And to make that happen, one needs to recover from addiction with the help of Skyward Treatment center.
Call us now to know more about our programs.