Dramatic Temperature Swing in Colorado Kills Millions of Dollars Worth of Cannabis Plants
The cannabis industry in Colorado suffered a major blow this week as cold temperatures destroyed potentially millions of dollars worth of outdoor plants.
The dramatic 70-degree temperature drop that occurred in Colorado on Tuesday, combined with snowfall, surprised cannabis farmers before they were able to harvest.
It's not often you'll see a short-term weather story that looks like this from one day to the next. Saving for posterity…@NWSBoulder #cowx #WeatherWhiplash pic.twitter.com/6lsZrCpD8j
— ColoClimateCenter (@ColoradoClimate) September 6, 2020
Nick Drury, the director of cultivation at Denver cannabis company Lightshade, told The Denver Post that the result could be less lower-grade competition for indoor growers and an increase in price for extract materials.
Some growers were prepared for the low temperatures, but not necessarily for the nine inches of wet snow that accompanied it. James Lowe, the owner of the PotCo outdoor cannabis farm outside Pueblo, CO, said, “We were on pace for the largest harvest we’ve ever had. The weight of [the snow] was what ended up being the problem.”
His farm has about 7,000 plants trellised together, but the moisture from the heavy snow caused much of the canopy protecting them to collapse. Lowe believes his losses from the incident could total $4 or $5 million. 
