Hash oil, also called honey oil because of its consistency and color is a concentrated form of cannabis extracts containing many of its resins and terpenes, particularly tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and other cannabinoids.
According to Reuters, the product can be consumed in vape pens, candies, waxes and other forms that are becoming increasingly popular.
The San Diego explosion illustrates a growing problem in the United States as marijuana moves from the counterculture into the mainstream now that marijuana is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia say law enforcement officials. Users are discovering new ways of consuming the drug, and some of them are very dangerous.
A lucrative business
According to the New Frontier Data research firm, in September 2018, nationwide, concentrated products accounted for nearly a third of the $10.3 billion legal market – double what it was in 2015.
Hash oil is produced by solvent extraction (maceration, infusion or percolation) of marijuana or hashish. After filtering and evaporating the solvent, a sticky resinous liquid with a strong herbal odor (remarkably different from the peculiar odor of hemp) remains
In states like California and Colorado, where cannabis is legal, licensed producers of marijuana oil shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the sophisticated equipment needed to produce the drug.
However, do-it-yourselfers have figured out a way to make the hash oil in the comfort of your own garage. YouTube videos demonstrate how to strip the psychoactive THC compounds from marijuana using a PVC pipe, a coffee filter and a $4 can of butane, according to KFGO.com.
DIY hash oil makers are so prolific in California that the legal market is not able to compete with the black market, which supplies users across the country through an illegal underground network. A “dab” of hash oil can contain up to 90 percent THC – more than four times the strength of typical marijuana buds.
“I will never forget my first time I ever took a dab,” said Sabrina Persona, assistant manager at Harbor Collective, a licensed marijuana dispensary in San Diego. “It’s some pretty strong, pretty concentrated stuff.”
DIY Hash oil production is dangerous
DIY production of hash oil is very dangerous. Butane is odorless and heavier than air. This means it can build up in an enclosed area – at least until a spark from a refrigerator motor or a garage-door opener sets off an explosion and resultant fire.
In the case of the San Diego explosion, cans of butane kept exploding, sounding like the fiery garage was full of ammunition going off. The intense heat from the fire melted the windshield of a nearby automobile.
In 2017, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) received reports of 260 illegal hash-oil labs across the nation, an increase of 38 percent from 2016. A quarter of the illegal hash oil labs were discovered because they exploded.
Canada has specifically approved the sale and use of hash oil, defined as a chemically concentrated extract having up to 90 percent THC potency – with the Marijuana legalization Act of 2018. The United States has not issued and laws or regulations specific to hash oil as of 2019.
