They’re legalized marijuana’s “dirty little secrets;” grid-crashing energy demands and glut-producing price drops.
Permitting only energy-intensive, indoor growing facilities, neither Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act, 35 P.S. Sections 10231.101-10231.2110 and regulations promulgated thereunder (Pennsylvania marijuana law), nor the program’s regulatory agency the Department of Health (DOH), provide for the increased electricity demand, grid reliability or carbon footprint enlargement issues. Solutions range from restricting a facility’s square footage and marijuana output to curbing electricity use and emissions through taxes, energy use fees and renewable energy incentives.
