Pubdate: Fri, 11 Oct 2013
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Santa Cruz Sentinel
Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/submitletters
Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394
Author: Stephen Baxter
Webpage: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/rss/ci_24285192?source=rss

SANTA CRUZ POLICE LINK HASH OIL TREND TO MARIJUANA HARVEST

SANTA CRUZ -- Three butane hash oil explosions in 10 days in Santa
Cruz and Monterey counties have prompted police to warn of a dangerous
trend that has been echoed nationally.

Santa Cruz police believe the recent blasts are linked to a fall
marijuana harvest on the Central Coast and attempts to preserve
concentrated pot for later use.

In Wednesday afternoon's blast on Walk Circle, a 29-year-old man was
burned on roughly 40 percent of his body, said Santa Cruz Deputy
Police Chief Steve Clark. The man remained in critical condition at
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on Thursday, authorities said.

The man initially denied to police he had been making hash oil --
which forces butane through marijuana scraps to extract a potent goo.

Marijuana stems and other parts typically sit in a hot water bath
while butane is cooked through it. Police believe the man lit a
cigarette lighter near the butane contraption when it exploded.

Marijuana was found "all over the floor" of the damaged bathroom,
police said.

"If he's released from the hospital, we will be put together a case
and he will be arrested for illegal drug manufacturing," Clark said.

A neighbor on the 100 block of Walk Circle described the man as quiet,
while another neighbor said the home had been a "drug house" in the
past.

The explosion follows a similar hash oil blast that seriously burned
three men on Third Street in Santa Cruz on Sept. 29. All three of
those men face criminal charges as well. Another man was injured in a
hash oil explosion in Seaside on Oct. 2.

"It's certainly a trend," Clark said Thursday.

Butane hash oil -- also known as "shatter" or "budder" -- is a super
strong marijuana derivative that can be smoked on its own or added to
pot, authorities said.

"Dabbing" the drug has been around for at least 10 years but appears
to be gaining in popularity, according to law enforcement.

Because it is marijuana harvest time in Santa Cruz County and
elsewhere on the Central Coast, Clark said pot is relatively cheaper
and more abundant. Making butane hash oil now is akin to canning
vegetables for later use, he said.

"This is almost like grandma canning tomatoes to preserve it and give
it a longer shelf life," Clark said.

Using butane to extract hash oil also seems to be more popular than
using rubbing-alcohol because butane is odorless and the oil tastes
less like chemicals, according to police.

Neighbors might not be able to smell a butane hash oil lab next door,
but they can watch for large deliveries of butane canisters,
authorities said.

Santa Cruz police said they have not seized much hash oil recently
during busts, yet its manufacture and related explosions are part of a
national trend.

In June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning to
fire departments about a rise in hash oil blasts, which can be
misidentified initially as pipe bombs.

"Butane is highly explosive, colorless, odorless and heavier than air
and therefore can travel along the floor until it encounters an
ignition source," according to Homeland Security.

The burns of all the men in the three blasts in Santa Cruz and
Monterey counties have been serious.

Police were not sure if the three men in the Third Street fire -- two
23-year-olds and a 25-year-old -- would survive.

"They're not out of the woods by any means," said Clark. "It's a long
process."
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MAP posted-by: Matt