The University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Public Health, the University of Colorado Boulder, and England’s Lancaster Environment Centre led a comprehensive study examining the environmental significance of terpenes, the natural plant oils that give marijuana its signature funky scent. Despite the fact that terpenes may be able to produce certain therapeutic effects when consumed, they may also be a form of volatile organic compound (VOC).

In this particular study, the team grew four strains of marijuana in an enclosed environment over a period of 90 days. During that time, the researchers measured the terpene release and used their findings to calculate the emissions potential in a full-scale outdoor grow.

The team of researchers found that cannabis has the potential to more than double the existing rate of VOCs in the atmosphere. This may be a cause for concern because VOCs interact with other contaminants in the environment to create ozone, otherwise known as an unstable toxic gas. Their findings estimated that the added VOCs caused by cannabis cultivation could produce more than 2,000 metric tons of ozone per year—from the legal cannabis market alone.

Fortunately for us, ozone levels are less likely to spike in plant-rich environments that are typically used for outdoor growing.

Indoor Cannabis Cultivation

Air pollution is one potential impact of growing outdoor cannabis, but indoor grow operations have their drawbacks as well—mainly water and energy.

A commercial grow op typically consumes electricity 24 hours a day to power necessary lights and fans. To put things in perspective, in 2015, an average household in Boulder County, Colorado, consumed 630 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. By contrast, a 5,000 square foot indoor grow facility in the same county used 41,808 kWh per month. That’s nearly 7 times the amount of the average home.

To even out the scales, some jurisdictions are taking steps to encourage more eco-friendly energy usage in cannabis cultivation facilities. In Boulder County, for example, growers are required to use renewable energy or pay a higher rate for every kWh used. That money is then used to fund green energy initiatives, like the development of eco-conscious equipment for cannabis cultivation.

Water usage can make a major impression on the environment as well. According to a 2015 BioScience report, cannabis requires a minimum of 22 liters of water per plant per day during the prime June-to-October growing season. That equals an impressive 3 billion liters per square kilometer of greenhouse space.

Because of these massive water demands, some grow ops are seeking out green alternatives, like filtering and recycling their water through a filtration or reverse-osmosis system. Others are turning to hydroponic systems, which solely rely on recycled water and nutrients instead of traditional soil and water methods.

So even though growing weed takes up an incredible amount of energy and water, many growers are looking for more green ways to make this plant magic possible.

The Environmental Impact of Consumption

Yes, even smoking weed leaves a footprint on our precious planet. The act itself may be relatively harmless, but even consumption is filled with wasteful practices.

To start, think of all the packaging you get when you purchase any cannabis product. Whether it’s an eighth of weed or a childproof bag of edibles, each and every product comes in some sort of packaging. To reduce waste, remember to thoroughly clean your packaging and recycle what you can. You can even get creative by reusing some of the jars as mini planters or candy bowls—we all get the munchies right?

Beyond the issue of packaging, the legal cannabis market is rife with disposable products that leave a lasting impression on the planet. Take disposable vapes for example: Once you’re done with the cannabis concentrate inside, it gets thrown out. Same thing with disposable lighters. Once the little bit of butane is gone, it gets thrown into the trash as well.

If you want to reduce your personal carbon footprint, opt for a rechargeable vape pen where only the cartridge gets thrown out rather than the entire pen. You can also invest in a classy reusable or rechargeable lighter that will last you a lifetime, rather than the cheap ones you might find at the gas station. This option not only helps the environment but also makes you look incredibly cool.

The Bottom Line

Even though cannabis cultivation and consumption may have a negative impact on the environment, the power is in our hands to encourage the industry to move toward a more earth-friendly future. Invest in reusable cannabis products, recycle what you can, and ask our budtenders about brands that support green initiatives. Mother Earth will thank you for it later.

Welcome to JARS Leveled Up: A series all about smoke-worthy occasions and the people doing the damn thing — and in this feature, we met some local Michigan snowboarders Dominic Palarchio and Grant Yoobie to talk all things cannabis and snowboarding.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at their experience and the relationship between smoking and hitting the slopes — or in this case, the abandoned Pontiac Phonix Center.

The Spot

An affectionate term used by snowboarding enthusiasts to describe their snowy destination, anyone in your crew knows where “the spot” is.

For Dominic Palarchio and Grant Yoobie, their spot is often the abandoned Pontiac Phoenix Center after a snowfall. With plenty of rails and snow-covered steps that mimic a bona fide ski slope, this is the perfect haven for snow-obsessed Michigan locals.

To see Yoobie and Palarchio in their natural environment, JARS pulled up to the Pontiac Phoenix Theatre with photographer Joe Gall (aka Camera Jesus) to capture every moment. As they gracefully barreled down the concrete steps and flipped off of the metal railings, they celebrated with a few puffs of sticky icky. It was clear that to them, cannabis is that “treat yourself” moment after landing a big trick or simply getting out there and trying your best.

While shredding and smoking seem like second nature to these two, it hasn’t always been openly embraced by the snowboarding community — and perhaps the most public example of this is the 1998 Olympics.

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Olympic Dreams Up In Smoke

In the 1998 Nagano Olympics in Japan, Canadian Ross Rebagliati exploded onto the extreme sports scene after capturing the gold medal in a surprise win — he went from 8th place to 1st with an ultra-fast run of the slalom course. But before Rebagliati even got to enjoy his newfound fame, the International Olympic Committee stripped him of his landmark gold medal for having only trace amounts of cannabis in his system.

The Olympic athlete fought this decision as cannabis was not on the list of banned substances and had his status gold-medal status unceremoniously restored only 36 hours later — but the damage had already been done.

In the 1990s, the negative stigma surround cannabis stood strong so Rebagliati was seen as a lazy stoner, despite having won one of the most prestigious awards an athlete can hope to achieve. What should have been a joyous moment for both Canada and the athlete himself, became a moment of shame that left a bad taste in Rebagliati’s mouth.

That is, until recently.

Enter a New Era of Acceptance

As cannabis legalization continues its global takeover, many athletes, including Olympic juggernauts like Michael Phelps, have come out in support of cannabis use. This movement has led many people to give Rebagliati and many other disgraced athletes their well-deserved flowers. Even Drake, a native of Canada, extended an invitation to the athlete for a seat at the OVO table with a 2020 clothing line collab that left hypebeasts drooling.

Today, Rebagliati still smokes and hits the slopes, and is also a well-known advocate for medical marijuana. So it’s safe to say that his story has a happy ending.

With the efforts of Rebegliati and many other world-class athletes, the extreme sports world as a whole is beginning to openly embrace cannabis culture — openly being the keyword here. Whether you knew it or not, cannabis has long been a favorite amongst the snowboarding community.

Think about it: snowboarding was born out of a rebellious counter-culture, much like cannabis. While many athletes report that they don’t get high while snowboarding, they do use it as a way to relax post-run, recover from sore muscles, and bask in the moment. An abundance of pro-boarders also uses CBD or THC-infused topicals to reduce pain and inflammation on snow-weary joints.

While the industry is still evolving, it is clear to see that snowboarding and cannabis go hand in hand.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to smoke-worthy occasions, snowboarding is at the top of our list. After hours spent on the mountain or on a snowy set of abandoned steps, a joint just seems like a fitting way to finish the day.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next installment of JARS Leveled Up to see an up-close and personal look at some of the dopest sesh-approved moments. In the meantime, hit up your local JARS location to grab all the green you need for your own personal smoke circle — whatever the occasion may be.

Vaping has quickly become one of the most popular ways to smoke cannabis. When you use a vaporizer, the smoke is silky smooth, ultra-flavorful, and potent AF. Once you become a vape fan, it can be difficult to smoke any other kind of way—so what do you do when you don’t have a vaporizer? Simple. Make a weed vaporizer yourself with a few household items.

In this article, we’ll discuss the basics of vaping and two ways to make one yourself with items you likely already have.

What is vaping?

Simply put, vaping is just another way to smoke weed, but without burning your bud. Instead, vaping involves heating cannabis either in its natural flower state or in concentrate form to temperatures right below its combustion point. This light toasting of the weed rather than burning produces a thick, smooth vapor which you then inhale.

Many people love vaping because they say it can be a more convenient and discreet way to smoke. Vape pens, for example, are slim and easy to carry around, they fit in nearly any bag, and are a great way of consuming cannabis on the go. Vape pens are also simple to use. All you need to do is press a button to activate the atomizer or in some cases, simply inhale.

When you vape, you are also creating vapor rather than smoke since you are not actually burning the weed. This vapor often produces stronger flavors and less unwanted odors in addition to avoiding the harmful effects of inhaling actual cannabis smoke into your lungs.

However, there are of course some negatives to vaping. First, the initial cost of purchasing your vaping device can be quite high depending on what features you are looking for. There are also some concerns about the safety of vaping, particularly when talking about pre-filled vape pens made by illegal manufacturers—so be sure to source any store-bought vapes at licensed facilities like JARS.

That being said, if vaping is your thing or you are curious about vaping at home, they are surprisingly simple to make yourself when you are in a pinch. Simply choose one of these two methods, and you will be on your way to weed vapor heaven.

Cardboard Box Method

Perhaps the easiest and most primitive method, this cardboard box method will have you vaping in no time. Let’s gather your tools and get to work.

What You Need:

• A small box

• A small tea candle that fits inside the box

• A small metal tray that can rest on top of the box, possibly the lid from a candle or the top to a tin of hand cream

• A glass big enough to cover the metal tray

• A small rubber tube or bendy straw

Instructions:

1. Now that you have what you need, go ahead and place the candle inside the box. Make sure it is spaced in the middle of the box to avoid catching anything on fire and light the candle.

2. Place the metal tray over the flame, resting on the edges of the box. Try to keep the flame low enough so that it does not scorch the bottom of the tray too badly. Put either your buds or concentrate on the tray.

3. Place the glass over the tin. Find a decent-sized glass that is big enough to fit over your tin yet small enough to rest on the edges of your box. Wait patiently for the glass to fill with vapor.

4. Once the glass is thick with vapor, slide your tube or straw up into the glass and inhale—that’s it!

Lightbulb Method

This technique requires a bit more finesse and effort than its cardboard counterpart, so please exercise caution and be careful. While this tool is designed to get you high, it might not be the best idea to make this while high. Now that the safety warning is out of the way, let’s do this.

What You Need:

• A lightbulb

• A plastic straw

• A plastic soda bottle, 12 oz

• A knife or scissors

• A pen

• Some tape or glue

Instructions:

1. Carefully cut two holes into the bottle cap, and put the straw through one of them. You need to make sure that these holes are as airtight as possible, so fix any wiggle room with a little tape or glue. Leave the other hole open.

2. Cut off the neck of the bottle using your scissors. Leave yourself at least 3 or 4 inches from the neck of the bottle. You will end up using this to attach to the light bulb, which will act as the vaporization chamber.

3. This is where things get a little tricky. You will need a sharp knife to carefully work around the "screw-in" end of the light bulb to remove the entire bottom of the lightbulb. Usually, the groove used to screw in the bulb is a good place to cut. Be very careful with this step.

When you've removed the end, you might need to pull the rest of the metal off using pliers. It's a soft metal and should tear easily. When you've removed the metal, extract the filament and interior components of the lightbulb, leaving you with an empty glass chamber.

1. Tape or glue the cut bottleneck to the hole in the bulb. The two should fit almost perfectly together as a typical 12-ounce soda bottle and a regular household lightbulb should typically have about the same size of the stem. Fix them together with duct tape or masking tape so that they create an airtight seal.

2. Next, fill the lightbulb with weed and screw the holed bottle cap onto the bottle end. The more finely ground up the weed, the easier it will be to heat up in the end. Check for any air holes and add some tape or a dab of glue if necessary.

3. All that’s left is to smoke. Gently heat up the lightbulb until it begins to fill with vapor. Inhale and enjoy.

Final Thoughts

Overall, vaping weed can be a flavorful and smooth way to enjoy your favorite herb—and you can even make one at home in a pinch with this step-by-step guide. Although, these at-home vaporizer methods are meant to be a temporary solution to be used only when in dire straits. If you love vaping, it is worth the money to invest in a long-term solution that works for you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or come and visit us today in either of Michigan or Arizona JARS locations.