Environmental Impact of Outdoor Cannabis Production

Abstract Environmental impacts of cannabis production are of increasing concern because it is a newly legal and growing industry. Although a handful of studies have quantified the impacts of indoor production, very little is known about the impact of outdoor cannabis agriculture. Outdoor production typically uses little direct energy but can require significant fertilizer and other inputs due to dissipative losses via runoff and mineralization. Conversely, fertilizer high in nitrogen can be counterproductive, as it produces flowers with decreased cannabinoid