Isra-Mart srl : Indoor marijuana's carbon footprint is extra large

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Growing pot is a real drain on the environment.

Indoor marijuana growers account for 1 percent of the nation's total electricity consumption, according to a study by a California scientist.

That's enough energy to power 2 million homes.

The growth of large-scale indoor marijuana production - either for medicinal purposes or illegal use - has resulted in $5 billion of annual energy costs, said Evan Mills, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory who performed the study on his own time and without federal funds.

The devices used to grow pot include high-intensity lamps, heaters, generators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, water purifiers and electrical ballasts. All suck up energy.

While 1 percent might seem small, the study noted that a single marijuana cigarette represents 2 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, which is equal to running a 100-watt light bulb for 17 hours.

Mills analyzed the California indoor cannabis industry (the state is one of 17 that allow medical marijuana) and interviewed horticultural equipment retailers. He offered no suggestions on how growers could be more efficient, but suggested the criminality label suppresses any changes.

"Energy costs are a major operating expense, and thus reducing energy costs is beneficial for this industry," Mills said yesterday in an email.

He also said that as consumers learn of the big carbon footprint marijuana production leaves behind, they'll demand changes.

Vikki Michalski, an American Electric Power spokeswoman, said the company doesn't try to interpret or analyze customers' power consumption or estimate how much electricity might be used to grow pot.

The Columbus-based utility supplies electric usage information for individual houses when subpoenaed by law-enforcement agencies. Police often ask for the information when they suspect a home might harbor a pot-growing operation.

"We get about 60 requests a month across the state," Michalski said.

Environmental advocates say they would like everyone to be better energy users and cited a 2008 Ohio law that establishes benchmarks for utility companies to reduce consumers' bills.

"It set into place a policy that all sorts of electric users - folks with lights in their home to folks in legitimate business practices - it saves them money," said Nachy Kanfer of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.