Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, presenters, for being here today.
Dr. Page, your submission to the committee here I found quite interesting. You talked about the environmental considerations of indoor cultivation, and you say that:
...the statistics are staggering. According to a report by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in Oregon (where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2014) an indoor grow system for only four plants consumes as much energy as 29 refrigerators.
You say:
The carbon emissions of this energy use are likewise staggering. It has been estimated that one average kilogram of final product is associated with 4600kg of C02 emissions. Looked at another way, embedded in an average indoor-grown plant is the energy equivalent of 265 litres of oil. From the perspective of individual consumers, a single marijuana joint represents about 4.6 kg of C02 emissions, or an amount of electricity equal to running a 100-watt light bulb for 75 hours. In addition to the environmental and economic cost of the energy intensive nature of indoor cultivation, the legalization of marijuana has also placed strains on some individual utilities and local grids in US states where marijuana has been legalized.
It is clear to me that there is quite an environmental impact to growing four or however many plants in a household, yet you propose that we allow even more than four plants, which is the proposed legislation. Is it because you're not concerned about the environment, or is it because you believe that we have the right to grow more plants?