California’s illicit marijuana is making water shortages worse
California’s stubbornly persistent illegal cannabis industry isn’t just undercutting the legal market — it’s also behind some of the world’s most blatant water theft. The state’s estimated $8 billion underground marijuana industry consumes staggering volumes of the precious resource, despite the state legalizing recreational use back in 2016. Some participants have been known to truck in stolen water, while others take it from fire hydrants or dig illegal wells. Years of off-and-on droughts in the state have exacerbated the problem. … An average cannabis plant requires as much as 5 gallons of water a day and takes anywhere from 90 to 275 days to grow … In California’s northern Siskiyou County, where there’s been a longtime heavy presence of illegal marijuana growing and drought conditions are among the worst in the state, Nores said he’s seen drilling of wells without permits and other obvious water theft.