It’s no secret that the United States’ $13 billion cannabis industry is big business. Less obvious to many is the environmental toll this booming business is taking, in the form of greenhouse gas emissions from commercial, mostly indoor production.

A new study by Colorado State University researchers provides the most detailed accounting to date of the industry’s carbon footprint, a sum around which there is only limited understanding. What is clear, though, is that consumer demand for cannabis is insatiable and shows no signs of stopping as more states sign on to legalization. //

They found that greenhouse gas emissions from cannabis production are largely attributed to electricity production and natural gas consumption from indoor environmental controls, high-intensity grow lights, and supplies of carbon dioxide for accelerated plant growth. //

Their research shows that U.S. indoor cannabis cultivation results in life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of between 2,283 and 5,184 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of dried flower. Compare that to emissions from electricity use in outdoor and greenhouse cannabis growth, which is 22.7 and 326.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide, respectively, according to the New Frontier Data 2018 Cannabis Energy Report. Those outdoor and greenhouse numbers only consider electricity, while the CSU researchers’ estimate is more comprehensive, but the comparison still highlights the enormously larger footprint of indoor grow operations.

In short, he’s an expert in tax legislation, not simply a black man there to give the GOP cred as Reid suggested.

Scott himself called Reid out for her ridiculous assertion that he’s nothing more than his skin color for the GOP.

“Woke supremacy is as bad as white supremacy. We need to take that seriously,” said Scott. “When she calls a United States Senator who’s a subject matter expert a prop, a token, or a superficial covering, that’s personal and that’s wrong and she should be held to account.”

My story of growing up as a little black girl in an all-white region of Canada is wrought with racial abuse which often manifested as physical abuse. In fact, I fled Canada at 18-years-old because my Canadian life had been defined by racism and racist abuse up until that point. //

People who claim that the United States is the worst place on earth when it comes to racism are too privileged to know better. They have never made the effort to understand cultures outside their own, and in fact pride themselves on their ignorance. They are so immersed in American privilege that they assume everyone else on earth lives like we live and thinks like we think – the “we” being the intellectual Left, naturally.

The truth is, the United States is the most racist country on the planet, except for everyone else. Humans are tribal. No amount of shaming, canceling or legislation can thwart human nature, human sin. If you think America is the most racist place on earth I invite you to move anywhere else and begin telling the people of color who live there what a utopia they live in.

The NPR article lists Liz Cheney as an example of the control Trump wishes he could wield. They know that he wants Cheney, as well as Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, successfully primaried, and would use funds from his PAC to accomplish that goal. The RNC, NRSC, and NRCC instead have a goal of filling seats with people who attach an R to their name – whether or not they act like a Republican.

And right there you have the most important reason that Trump supporters will donate to Save America PAC over one of the party entitles. They’re sick of watching those entities promote squishy Republicans instead of cultivating a field of people who will stick to conservative principles once elected, and sick of watching those entities not hold Republicans accountable once they’re elected.

It’ll be an interesting meeting at Mar-a-Lago this weekend.