Pubdate: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2014 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Otiena Ellwand WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, SOME GETTING HIGHER E-Cigarettes May Be Driving Spike In Hash Oil Production, Drug Team Says Another type of oil industry is booming in Alberta. Electronic cigarettes loaded with hash oil cartridges are becoming an increasingly popular way to get a more intense high without getting caught. "So many of these young kids nowadays are using these electronic cigarettes. It's odourless, colourless, it smells like bubble gum or cherry, and here they are getting high," said Sgt. Dwayne Karpo of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team's Green Team North on Tuesday. Hash oil is made using the by-product of a marijuana plant, with the leaves and stems being soaked in butane gas or isopropyl alcohol to extract the potent cannabinoid-containing resin. The process poses a risk to the public because of the use of highly flammable chemicals such as butane gas and isopropyl alcohol. In May 2013, an explosion at an Evansburg extraction lab killed one man, left another man seriously injured, and levelled the building. This past July, an extraction lab explosion occurred in northwest Calgary's Royal Oak neighbourhood. The force of the explosion shook the house and buckled the garage door on a quiet cul-de-sac where children were playing nearby. Firefighters first thought they found pipe bombs in the garage, but the objects turned out to be homemade extraction filters. "We are seeing people trying to emulate the process by watching videos on the Internet, but in some cases the results have been deadly," Karpo said. While no fires in Edmonton can be traced back to hash oil extraction, Karpo said it's just a matter of time. "The volume of volatile and flammable liquids stored in an extraction lab generally far exceeds the allowable amount for a residential occupancy, greatly increasing the risk of fire and explosion," said fire marshal Tom Karpa of Edmonton Fire Rescue Services. [sidebar] BY THE NUMBERS From the Green Team police unit: On average, the Green Team conducts 44 to 50 search warrants on marijuana grow-ops per year On average, the Green Team receives 200 calls regarding potential marijuana grow-ops per year Since last year, the Green Team has discovered five hash oil extraction labs in Edmonton Police Sgt. Dwayne Karpo estimates one out of five marijuana grow-ops that are investigated have a hash oil extraction lab - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D