As if 2020 wasn't bad enough, the abrupt change in temperature earlier this week may have destroyed millions of dollars worth of marijuana plants.

Following a hot summer, temperatures dropped dramatically across the state on Tuesday, September 8th, with the Western Slope seeing lows of around 39 degrees Fahrenheit and the Front Range seeing an abundance of snowfall.

Because of this, marijuana plants that were being grown outside experienced entirely too low of temperatures months before they were set to be harvested.

This news comes after it was reported that the marijuana industry in Colorado broke sales records in 2020, with July crossing the $200 million mark for the first time since cannabis was legalized for recreational use.

In fact, while Coloradans were stuck in quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the marijuana industry was booming. May saw sales of $192 million, June saw sales of $199 million, and July's final numbers reached over $226 million.

Marijuana cultivation is a delicate process, and plants have to be given enough time to mature enough to produce THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. The plant also typically requires a warm environment, and a cold snap like the one Colorado experienced early this week could mean that many plants that were being grown outdoors were not given enough time to mature, leaving growers with essentially useless plants.

Luckily, many growers cultivate their marijuana plants in a controlled environment such as a greenhouse or a grow room with regulated heat and lights, which would not have been affected by the cold snap.

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Growers and Farmers of Western Colorado

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