The first annual symposium, sponsored by HSU’s Humboldt Institute for Interdisciplinary Marijuana Research (HIIMR) and the Department of Sociology, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Building and other campus locations to be announced later.
The two-day symposium is titled “Communities and Landscapes in the Balance: The Crossroads of Environmental Protection and Marijuana Agriculture.” It is outlined in full on the new HIIMR website and will comprise numerous panels, workshops and multimedia presentations. The symposium will bring together leading policymakers, grassroots environmental organizations, activists, scientists, students and community members.
Panelists will share their expertise about a broad spectrum of marijuana issues, including land use policy, water quality, forest degradation, northern California fish and wildlife protection and the climate damage inflicted nationwide by indoor grows.
Among the tentative topics to be addressed (subject to change) are:
- Public Lands and Marijuana Agriculture
- Ecological Data – What We Know and What We Need to Know
- Private Timberland Impacts: Trespass, Conversion and Solutions
- Legislative Updates on Marijuana Policy and the Environmental Implications
- Public Health Impacts of Smoking Toxic Weed
- The Ecological Footprint of Indoor Marijuana Agriculture
- Indigenous Land and the Marijuana Industrial Complex
- Environmental Impacts and the Marijuana Industry: Worst-Case Scenarios
- Threats to Fish from Marijuana Agriculture
“We expect the symposium to enhance the understanding of the many ways marijuana cultivation impacts the environment,” say HIIMR Co-Directors and Professors Erick Eschker and Joshua Meisel. “It also will contribute to California’s efforts to develop ecologically sound and economically sustainable policy.”
Day one of the symposium, Friday, April 19, will be devoted to keynote presentations by academics, authors and preeminent activists. Day two will be given over to panels and workshops, followed by a closing keynote and a reception.
Registration is available online at humboldt.edu/dee/hiimr/.