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Cannabis rarely the top water user in Northern California watersheds, UC Berkeley study finds

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Cannabis cultivation is a fraction of the water demand in northern California’s rural watersheds, far less than residential users or non-cannabis agriculture. A peer-reviewed study published April 22 in PLOS Water.

The study, led by Christopher Dillis of the University of California, Berkeley, along with Ethan Baruch of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Theodore E. Grantham of UC Berkeley, analyzed 14 watersheds in 10 northern California counties, comparing water demand and flow impacts for three user types: cannabis cultivation, residential use, and non-cannabis agriculture.

Cannabis was the main water user in 1.6% of the sampling months. Residential use held this position in 34.6% of observations, and non-cannabis agriculture in 29.8%. Average annual water demand figures illustrate the gap: cannabis accounted for 1,665 cubic meters per catchment each year, 80,518 for residential use and 901,482 for non-cannabis agriculture.

According to the study, “residential and non-cannabis agriculture had the potential to impair streamflow on annual timescales, and the impact of cannabis water use was only evident on a monthly scale.” On an annual basis, cannabis did not produce any detectable streamflow without severity. On a monthly scale, impairments of 5% to 10% appeared, concentrated in small catchments of less than 20 upstream catches.

The image changes when all users exit the same shrink pool. The frequency of 1% impairment for cannabis nearly tripled, from 2.3% of months to 6.5%, when demand from the other two user types was already taken into account. The authors posit this dynamic carefully: “cannabis is much more likely to exacerbate existing impairments than to cause significant impairments in currents on its own.”

Drought increases this dynamic faster for cannabis than for other sectors. Because residential and non-cannabis agricultural demand is already high enough to drive the most vulnerable catch to spoil even in wet years, cannabis retains more potential to push additional catches above spoilage thresholds as conditions dry out. The authors also point out that water demand for cannabis has greater year-to-year variability than non-cannabis agriculture, and that unlicensed farms in particular “are more likely to move across the landscape each year than other water users,” making it difficult to predict where impacts occur.

The study recommends watershed management that treats all users together rather than separating cannabis, and points to small-scale off-site storage as a practical tool to offset dry season diversions. Licensed farms are already prohibited from diversion during the dry season; the authors note that reaching unlicensed operators will require direct outreach, and in a separate survey many of these farmers noted that they are “concerned about the environmental consequences of their practices.”

The complete data set is available at Dryad Data Library

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Columbia hemp business Burning Acre to close and move to North Carolina over new Tennessee rules

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June 14, 2026

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Burning Acre, a Columbia, Tennessee-based hemp company, says it will close its retail store and move operations to North Carolina ahead of new state regulations that take effect July 1, according to WSMV.

The business says its last day to open in Columbia will be June 30, the same day the Tennessee Department of Agriculture licenses for hemp-derived cannabinoids expire. As of July 1, businesses that continue to operate in the state will be required to be licensed under a new regulatory framework led by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Burning Acre says the changes have forced it to abandon plans for a new sandwich shop and bakery and close its Tennessee retail operations and relocate to Murphy, North Carolina. “I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s a very hard video for me and a message I should never have written,” the business wrote.

The business puts the annual cost of manufacturing, distribution and running the retail store at about $750. Under the new rules, he says, those costs would rise by tens of thousands of dollars, citing new licensing fees, a required $25,000 annual bond and increased testing fees.

The law, which took effect in July, changes the regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid businesses from the Department of Agriculture to the ABC. The Department of Agriculture stopped issuing licenses at the end of 2025, and the licenses issued by the TDA will remain valid until June 30, 2026.

“Columbia, we absolutely love being a part of this community,” said Burning Acre. “We are truly heartbroken to have to say goodbye to this location.”

Read more at WSMV4










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North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill To Set A Minimum Age Limit For Hemp And Kratom Products

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9 hours ago

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June 14, 2026

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“Many other details about cannabis have been debated and will continue to be debated.”

By Christine Zhu, NC Newsline

Lawmakers in North Carolina are considering banning people under 21 from buying or possessing certain hemp-derived consumables, including combustible hemp flower, hemp cigarettes, gummies and drinks, or items that include the drug kratom.

The House Agriculture and Environment Committee approved a rewrite of Senate Bill 59 on Wednesday. This is the latest attempt by state legislators after years of proposals to regulate the sale of hemp products that didn’t work out in the end.

This measure would prohibit companies from selling such products to under-21s. If the seller has “reasonable grounds” to believe that the buyer is under the age of 21, the seller must verify the buyer’s ID.

Rep. Jimmy Dixon (R-Duplin), who introduced the bill, said he was motivated to bring public attention to issues surrounding cannabis. He said there was a 14-year-old boy in his neighborhood who had an emergency after buying a hemp-derived product.

“There are a lot of other details about cannabis that have been debated and will continue to be debated, but ladies and gentlemen, to make sure we have the good sense to be agents of these kinds of issues, that’s the lowest hanging fruit,” he said.

Violators would face a Class 2 felony, as well as a fine of $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second offense and $1,500 for subsequent offenses.

asked Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford). of the bill language resulted in potential changes to hemp-derived products. It is common for manufacturers of synthetic recreational drugs to make changes to the chemical composition of their products to avoid legal bans or restrictions.

“I assume the definition as written is broad enough to capture any future manipulation of molecules,” he said. Dixon nodded.

Legislators also voted in favor correction To add kratom products to the under-21 ban.

Rep. Jeffrey McNeely (R-Iredell), who proposed the amendment, said it was necessary to add those elements to the bill.

“I’ve been working on this for quite some time, trying to get these bills passed,” McNeely said. “We definitely have a problem. So I’m hoping we can keep posting this and we’ll get something done before we get out of the short session here.”

Both the amendment and the legislation passed unanimously without debate.

The bill moves next to the House Rules Committee. Other amendments will be heard when they appear on the House floor, which could be as soon as next week.

This story was first published by NC Newsline.

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GreenTech Amsterdam 2026 in 2026 photos

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1 day ago

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June 13, 2026

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Well, it’s not 2026 photos, but with around 600 photos, we definitely did our best. For the past two days, the Netherlands has been the place to be for the global greenhouse industry. From Flower Trials for the horticulture sector, company visits to growers and technical suppliers, as well as dinners, get-togethers, drinks, knowledge sessions and much more. And of course with GreenTech Amsterdam.

The event brought together professionals from around the world to connect, network, share knowledge and do business.

Next week, we’ll be sharing more information on market developments, trends, what’s on display, news, business news, innovations and whatever else you can think of, but for now we’ll stick to photo reporting.

Click here for the photo report.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com










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