CANOGA PARK, Calif.—Entrepreneur George Mekhtarian says the Covid-19 cannabis boom drives home the industry’s need to be more sustainable and adopt more advanced cultivation technology. Recently, his company California Lightworks was featured in LEDs Magazine addressing the cannabis industry’s carbon problem.
“As we see the Covid cannabis boom, we have to realize that means a boom in the climate impact cannabis is having,” said Mekhtarian. “The good news is that we can mitigate the climate impact of the cannabis industry through innovation and technology.”
Medicinal cannabis use increased 91 percent amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and cannabis cultivation overall has only continued expanding. Per Bakertilly, Americans consumed nearly $18 billion worth of cannabis in 2020, a 67% increase from 2019, with many states more than doubling those annual sales.
With the expansion of self-growing and larger-scale cultivation, researchers are concerned about the pressing need for more sustainable cultivation practices.
Jeffrey Steiner, associate director of Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, told the Eugene Weekly that there are not a lot of studies on how to mass-produce cannabis, specifically hemp, in a sustainable way yet.
“The best thing that cultivators, large and small, can do to be more sustainable is to invest in technology that is proven to reduce business costs, and reduce the impact cultivating has on our water supply and energy consumption,” added Mekhtarian.
California Lightworks developed an LED system called MegaDrive, that not only offers increased benefits with reduced costs to cultivators, but addresses the emerging problem of the cannabis industry’s climate impact.
“The more people learn about the sustainable benefits and cost-reductions offered by MegaDrive, the more they want to use it in their operations,” said Mekhtarian. “We attain unparalleled results with our patented technology while providing dynamic spectrum control and automatic sunlight balancing.”
About California Lightworks
Since 2008 California Lightworks has been a pioneer in advanced technology LED lighting for horticulture. All products are designed, manufactured and supported in our Southern California factory and we stand behind every product we have ever made. From small scale home grow to large scale indoor and greenhouse applications, we offer optimal lighting solutions.
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