Maximum Yield Cannabis Canada July/August 2019 | Page 16

The healing attributes of cannabis
are also expanding, and the plant
is a positive substitute to traditional
medicine such as opioids.”
from the
EDITOR
TG Toby Gorman
14
Maximum Yield
W
ith cannabis quickly emerging as
the world’s most lucrative cash crop,
an interesting question has developed:
Should cannabis be grown on land
reserved to grow food?
In Saanich, British Columbia, the argument
has come to a point after a plot of Agricultural
Land Reserve was approved by Health
Canada to house 21 greenhouses designed
to grow marijuana. Naturally, petitioners
arrived with placards in hand arguing
farmland is for growing food, not weed.
Opponents state that growing weed on
prime farmland threatens food security,
fearing farmers who grow lower-value
crops may switch to cannabis or hemp.
They also point out that growing cannabis
on prime farmland in environment-
controlled greenhouses requires concrete
pads, effectively destroying the farmland
for future generations.
Proponents for cannabis say marijuana
is a plant, and therefore agricultural
land is the perfect place to grow it.
They also argue farmland is commonly used
for non-food crops such as hops and barley
for beer, grapes for wine, tobacco, Halloween
pumpkins, and flowers. Farmers also grow
tomatoes and cucumbers in greenhouses
with concrete pads. Should those be banned
from designated farmland?
Here is something else to consider: A
recent study states that one in five deaths
around the globe in 2017 was attributed to
poor nutrition, specifically a lack of whole
grains and fruits and vegetables. In the US
and Canada, food deserts are expanding —
more than 750,000 people in New York City
alone don’t have access to fresh food.
The healing attributes of cannabis are
also expanding, and the plant is a positive
substitute to traditional medicine such
as opioids. However, if governments are
serious about fulfilling their mandates of
encouraging health through nutrition, then
food should remain a priority when it comes
to the utilization of prime farmland.