Weed Could Clean Florida Waterways

Florida is finding a creative way to fight water pollution, and it has potential to bring the state billions in revenue - cannabis growing.

According to the Herald Tribune, local entrepreneur Steve Edmonds has a theory that hydroponic cannabis plants could be the key to cleaning up 440,000 acre Lake Okeechobee.

His experiment — Florida Industrial Hemp Pilot Project — has been approved by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. According to the publication, Edmonds’ project: “aims to discover just how much of the two main nutrients that fuel toxic algae – nitrogen and phosphorus – can be drained from polluted water by cannabis.”

If successful over its 190-day trial time frame, officials believe the pilot could be “a game-changer” for Florida’s efforts to mitigate pollution.

Read the entire article on The Herald Tribune here.