Argentina is taking its first steps in the production, marketing, and export of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp, exploring a market that could reach a value of US$450 million over the next decade. With 45 projects focused on the research and development of cannabis already under way in the country, questions are being raised about the potential environmental impact of the nascent industry, both at the cultivation stage and in its subsequent processing.
The Complexity of Cannabis
The term cannabis refers to the annual plant cannabis sativa, which is “complex in its structure” due to the presence of more than 550 chemical compounds. Of these, the most studied are the so-called cannabinoids, notably tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, responsible for the plant’s popular psychoactive effect, and cannabidiol or CBD, which has attracted the most interest among health practitioners as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and autism, among other conditions.
Potential Risks and Benefits
There are three main cannabis cultivation systems: indoor, outdoor, and mixed light, each of which can affect the environment differently. Indoor systems require more external inputs, particularly electricity, which is why several studies have highlighted their high carbon footprint. On the other hand, field cultivation requires up to 140 times less electricity but raises concerns about water use, as a mature cannabis plant can consume up to 22.7 litres of water per day in the 150-day growing season, almost twice as much as a grapevine.
Studies conducted in the US state of California highlight other concerns, such as possible deforestation and fragmentation of forest habitats due to commercial cannabis production, and significant impacts on water resources in the face of rapidly increasing cannabis cultivation. However, the environmental benefits of the plant should also be noted. The species can sequester atmospheric carbon twice as effectively as forests, while providing carbon-negative biomaterials for architects and designers. Hemp, a very low-THC variety of the cannabis plant, can also mitigate the negative effects of agriculture on the environment by replacing several raw materials.
The Situation in Argentina
In Argentina, the most advanced project is the state-owned Cannava initiative in the province of Jujuy, which plans to produce 80 tonnes of cannabis buds for medicinal purposes. It was the first cannabis project to be authorized by the national health regulator and is the only “one-stop-shop” for cannabis in the country, as it includes everything from cultivation to processing. Recently, it was announced that the plant will be 100% supplied by a 6MW solar power station.
Santa Fe also has a medical cannabis project under way, which is 100% funded by the provincial government. Cannabis plants are being grown on a 35-hectare plot to supply the Industrial Pharmaceutical Laboratory, which will produce CBD oil to be distributed to the local health system. Eliana Eberle, the Santa Fe government official in charge of the initiative, insists that all inputs used must be agro-ecological, seeing cannabis as the gateway to large-scale agro-ecology.
The Need for Scientific Research
The lack of scientific research around the environmental impacts of cannabis production in Argentina is largely the result of years of prohibition. Although international studies offer some background information, not everyone endorses their conclusions. Research into the field is an “imperative need.”
