We’re All in this Together
Climate Solutions Beyond Your Backyard
Cannabis or Climate?
By Jason Wentworth
I generally don’t give much credence to predicting the future. But when it comes to climate change, I’m pretty confident that we’re screwed. I know that’s a broad claim that any cynic could make from the comfort of a barstool, but I’ve got a real-world observation to back it up. Americans care more about legal weed than stopping climate change!
My forms of recreation are more oriented towards sports than pot. So, I didn’t pay much attention to this emerging industry until recently. I was in Colorado, where marijuana has been legal for over a decade, on a camping trip. I passed through towns that were so small you’d never know they existed, except for the road sign and one or two dispensaries. Amazingly, it was far easier to find THC infused lemon drops than a gas station.
Then I came back to Maine and took a trip from Portland to Bethel. Same thing. Pot shops sprouting up faster than Dunkin Donuts.
I’ve got nothing against marijuana or the people who like to recreate with it.
It’s good for lots of health conditions, though some of the claims seem a bit exaggerated. But I’m miffed.
My frustration comes from the fact that climate science is clear on the coming catastrophe and for more than forty years climate activists have been trying to get the world to listen, with limited success. Then along comes some well-organized stoners and in a decade, they take weed from an illegal “gateway drug” that got you tossed in jail for, to pot salves for grandma’s bunions at the friendly neighborhood dispensary. Seemingly overnight, they managed to move marijuana from the backstreets to main street. And it won’t be long before it’s on Wall Street.
Even Congress is likely to legalize pot at the federal level well before it votes on a much-needed fee on fossil fuel companies’ carbon emissions. (Please take a few seconds to send a message of support to our lawmakers at cclusa.org/white-house and cclusa.org/senate.)
I’m not surprised that every green thumb with an eye on the future is going all in for cannabis. It’s where the money is. But we need smart, motivated, doers on the front lines of the climate crisis, not experimenting with grow-light filters. And we need all lawmakers, who are arguing over tax rates and labeling regulations for pot, to spend more time on climate policy.
Then again, maybe I just need to accept the reality. Most people would rather face the impending climate disaster with a dozen pot brownies than a solar panel.
Jason Wentworth is a volunteer with the Portland ME Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
We’re All in this Together is a monthly Climate Justice column provided by the Portland chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
