Humboldt County resident Tyce Fraser recently published a piece in High Times Medical Marijuana, a new spin off of the famous pot publication.  The article presents the views of a loosely organized  group* concerned with the environmental damage caused by many aspects of cannabis farming. The members work to make growers and consumers aware of harmful cultivation practices and ways to minimize or eliminate them.  Tyce makes the comparison between factory farms/Confined Animal Feeding Operations and large industrial grows.  He says,

Because the resources are limited and the capacity of the planet to absorb pollution is also limited, the factory farm model is doomed to failure. Clearly, we need to rethink the industrial model and embrace a sustainable model of farming. Fortunately, there are several movements doing just that.

Biodynamic farming and permaculture  are based on the philosophy that systems can be both economically viable and ecologically sound, can create their own resources and  do not rely on depleting or polluting other areas.  Such practices incorporate the inherent qualities of the plants and animals along with the natural characteristics of the landscape to produce thriving, diverse and sustainable ecosystems.  A biodynamic farmer isn’t focused solely on a single end-product, but on the health of the soil, air and water that the whole system grows from. The consumer also benefits by getting a superior product. Grass-fed beef  has higher quantities of Omega 3s -the “good”  fats- and less of the “bad”  fats,  also grass-fed is richer in anti-oxidants like vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta carotene. Indoor marijuana has higher levels of T.H.C. (because grow lights produce more lumens than natural sun light), but choosing a product based on one attribute is like selecting a wine based on alcohol  content.  Like fine wines, fine herb has a provenance,   unique attributes of the soil, air, water and climate of origin. Cows should have the right to organic sun grown grass and so should you.  **

The rest of the article can be found in issue two of High Times Medical Marijuana along with Medicinal Strains and Selecting Dispensary Clones. Especially interesting is an interview with Harvard Medical School professor, Lester Grinspoon, who wrote Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine.

*I am a member

**This is the unedited version.