Rash of hash-oil lab blasts prompt warnings

[Jesus Malverde]

Two explosions at makeshift hash oil labs in Santa Cruz in the past two weeks are the latest in a string of similar accidents in the Bay Area, authorities said Thursday as they warned of a growing trend that has led to injuries and deaths.

The blasts - reminiscent of the outbreak of methamphetamine lab explosions years ago - are linked to the production of hash oil, a thick, yellow-orange by-product of marijuana also known as honey oil, and the use of butane, a highly flammable gas that's used to extract the substance.

"This particular process has become more popular, and what I think is going on here is there's almost a playful attitude around it, like, 'I can handle it,' " said Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Steve Clark. "They're finding that, well, you really can't handle it. They don't fully appreciate the dangers behind it."

The latest explosion in Santa Cruz happened about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, when a 29-year-old man was badly burned while making hash oil in the bathroom of his home on Walk Circle, Clark said.

Two dogs were badly singed from the blast, which blew out doors and the front window of the home. Officers found a large quantity of marijuana and more than a dozen butane canisters in the bathroom, police said.

An earlier incident was even more destructive. On Sept. 29, three men were hurt while making hash oil in a storage room at an apartment complex at 707 Third St.

http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Rash-of-hash-oil-lab-blasts-prompt-warnings-4885920.php

[thatgemguy]

1. Ventilation People!

Don't work with Haz Mat in enclosed spaces.

Derp!

[nomorenomore08]

2. Don't try this at home!

[mike_c]

3. do this OUTDOORS, folks....

Sheesh.

[phleshdef]

4. I want nothing to do with hash oil.

Its highly, highly concentrated thc from what I can tell. I don't think anyone has ever fatally overdosed on marijuana, but if they keep that up, someone might just find a way to make it happen.

[TeamPooka]

5. uh no.

but thanks for the reefer madness.
I have used butane oil, and oil filtered with liquid oxygen that was almost 95% thc as well as regular old hashish and u can't over dose on thc.
You can take a nap.
Most but not all bad reactions to pot are usually about something else in the pot like pcp etc.

[phleshdef]

6. I have used marijuana (for a really long time) and advocate complete legalization.

So no, I'm not "reefer madness".

But I do worry about stuff when they start taking it into a lab and doing things with it.

[SomethingFishy]

11. The best way to use it is to drip a little on top of a bowl of weed...

It's actually really good and tasty. I had a friend who used to make it out the buds that were too small to sell...

Nothing to worry about as long as like the first responder said.. Ventilate!

[BluegrassStateBlues]

7. People need to stick with dealing drugs that don't go kaboom.

If they want my sympathy.

[4bucksagallon]

8. I don't see why anyone needs hash oil.

What does that gain you? Other than carrying around a vile of oil rather than a bag of marijuana. Is this a status symbol or am I missing something here.

[Jesus Malverde]

9. Why BHO?

It began with an intriguing comment on a Weediquette article. A kid from Denver said, "Dude, you should be dabbing errl." There was very little available information on this phrase at the time, so I ventured to friend this kid on Facebook in hopes of getting some answers. Having smoked for as long as I have, I didn't expect to learn anything new about weed, but the kid from Denver humbled me quick.

He was describing Butane Hash Oil, or BHO, a marijuana extract that is pretty much pure THC. People have been making marijuana extracts for millennia, pounding, churning, and milling green plant matter to separate its natural resins, yielding a more concentrated product. For ages, we called this stuff hash, but a new method of extraction came about that was so much more effective that the product itself looked different, had a different texture, and most importantly, got you waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay fucking higher.

Simply put, BHO is made by blasting marijuana with butane, a solvent that takes all the THC with it and nothing else. Evaporating away the butane leaves only the resin, a viscous, amber-colored, waxy substance. BHO is vaporized, either in a pan or using a dabbing pipe, which is where the phrase "Dabbing Errl" comes from—you blowtorch the titanium bowl piece until it's red hot, then you use a pointy tool to press the oil onto the metal and it bursts into a vapor cloud that you inhale rapidly.

The most notable thing about the high from BHO is that it makes you feel the way you did when you smoked the first time. It's a high that envelopes you and renders you pretty much useless, but the bliss that comes with it is unmatched. After that first hit, I was obsessed and took to the internet to explore this wonder substance further.

http://www.vice.com/weediquette-show/butane-hash-oil

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. A little dab 'll do ya!

Dude, last year at the NORML conference in LA, I watched a NORML board member, a 40-year pot smoker, take a couple of hits of dab at a downtown dispensary and drop to the floor like a rock. An ambulance had to come take him away because he hit his head when he passed out.

Me, I don't even bother with hash. I'll stick with the kind bud. And the harvest is in!