Can cannabis byproducts be reused? A Senate committee wants to find out
Island senator Diane Griffin hopes cannabis residues can be put to good use
A group of senators led by P.E.I.'s Diane Griffin is studying what can be done with cannabis byproducts.
Griffin, who's chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, said the group is looking into what can be done with cannabis residues, from both small-scale private use and large-scale commercial production.
"There are biological residues from the cannabis plants; stems, weeds, etc.," Griffin said. "What would seem to be most environmentally friendly would be to compost the product or find some means of composting this waste product and using it."
Griffin said right now, the remnants of large-scale cannabis production ends up disposed of in landfills after being made into a slurry.
The committee is in the process of hearing from experts on potential issues with pot compost, what precisely is done with the byproduct and what could be done to make cannabis residues sustainable for reuse.
'This is not your average kitchen peelings'
"This is an unusual product," she said. "This is not your average kitchen peelings that we're dealing with with cannabis, so it's a different beast to deal with and we're trying to find out if there's any role for the agriculture and forestry committee, especially since we are the committee that deals with organically produced products."
Griffin said findings from the study might lead to recommendations to the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. They might also be used to contribute to cannabis regulations, now or in the future.