Cannabis de-domestication and invasion risk

Cultivated plants provide food, fiber, and energy but they can escape, de-domesticate, colonize agroecosystems as weeds, and disrupt natural ecosystems as invasive species. Escape and invasion depend on traits of the species, type and rate of domestication, and cultivation context. Understanding this “de-domestication invasion process” is critical for managing conservation efforts to reduce unintended consequences of cultivated species in novel areas. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is an ideal case study to explore this process because it was one of the earliest plants to co-evolve with humans, has a crop to weed history, and has been introduced and cultivated globally. Moreover, recent liberalization of cannabis cultivation and use policies have raised concerns about invasion risk. Here, we synthesize knowledge on cannabis breeding, cultivation, and processing relevant to invasion risk and outline research and management priorities to help overcome the research deficit on the invasion ecology of the species. Understanding the transition of cannabis through the de-domestication-invasion process will inform policy and minimize agricultural and environmental risks associated with cultivation of domesticated species. •Cannabis is one the most widely introduced plants.•Ecological research has been absent or insufficient due to its illegal status.•Liberalization of policy is promoting industrial-scale cultivation which comes with invasion risks and conservation concerns.•The invasion potential of cannabis should be assessed through the de-domestication invasion process.•Collaboration among researchers in agronomy, weed ecology, and invasion ecology will be pivotal in managing invasion risks.