…with logging activity on the decline across much of the region and a thriving black market for pot — plus state-sanctioned recreational marijuana sales in Washington and Colorado — the spread of cannabis cultivation is now seen by many environmentalists and government scientists as the greatest threat to forests and streams damaged by decades of heavy human use.
“There’s no real question the marijuana industry is now the biggest single sector in terms of our concerns,” said Greacen, Friends of the Eel River director.
He said regulating the industry and its water use would go a long way toward fixing the problem.
If growers collected all their water during the rainy season and stored it in permitted tanks or ponds — like many other farmers — marijuana’s water consumption would not be such an issue, Greacen said.
Article by: Glenda Anderson
Published by: The Press Democrat
Published: April 12, 2014