Legalization of Cannabis and Agricultural Frontier Expansion

Mark Klassen*, Brandon P. Anthony

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

The environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation have been an issue of growing concern, with legalization often framed as a means to introduce regulations that hinder damaging practices. However, the concept of frontier expansion presents the possibility that the widespread establishment of this new industry may institute an additional source of habitat encroachment. Here, through geospatial analysis, we employ Colorado as a case study to investigate the distribution of licensed recreational cannabis cultivators, potential habitat infringement of threatened and endangered species, and LULC change. From 2011 to 2016, licensed cannabis cultivation has resulted in over 67 ha of LULC change toward more developed land uses. In addition, nearly 15 km of new fencing was constructed establishing over 38 ha of fenced areas, and nearly 60 ha of vegetation was cleared. Much of this cannabis-driven LULC change is identified within the habitats of threatened and endangered species, as well as areas recognized as containing high biodiversity values with the potential for conservation. Thus, notable cannabis-driven frontier expansion is evident. Cannabis-driven LULC change is found to be primarily produced by outdoor and greenhouse facilities, as well as operations utilizing mixed-cultivation methods in rural areas. Therefore, policy instruments that inter alia encourage indoor cannabis cultivation in urban areas are recommended and discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)333-352
Number of pages20
JournalEnvironmental Management
Volume69
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2022

Keywords

  • Cannabis cultivation
  • Habitat encroachment
  • LULC change
  • Recreational cannabis legalization
  • Threatened species

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Legalization of Cannabis and Agricultural Frontier Expansion'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this