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." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt