Butane Hash Oil Labs are a Byproduct of Marijuana Commercialization
On the first day pot was 100% legal in California, three men in Humboldt County celebrated their marijuana freedom by extracting butane hash oil (BHO) from marijuana. Their actions sparked a fire. Helicopters airlifted the injured men to UC Davis Hospital because their burns were so extensive. It is rumored that two of the men died.
Car fire in Arcata, on November 2, 2016. There have been 5 BHO fires in the same county, Humboldt, since the vote to legalize on November 8
Wasn’t legalization going to solve these problems? No, because “wax,” “shatter,” “budder” — the products made from BHO and sold in dispensaries — are more expensive than homemade stuff.
On November 2, seven days before pot became legal, a BHO fire exploded a car in Arcata, CA. A similar fire on January 14, 2017, totaled a home near Arcata in Humboldt County, injuring two people. It was the fourth BHO lab discovered in Humboldt County since legalization. (The photo above is from a car fire in Arcata on November 2, 2016.)
19 people were hospitalized in San Francisco on August 7 from THC, after attending a quinceañera party. The source is believed be marijuana-infused candies, perhaps gummy bears. Several children were among those poisoned, one as young as six. A 9-year-old had severe difficulty breathing.
Pot brownies sent a bachelorette party to the emergency room in South Lake Tahoe over the weekend of July 30-31. Eight of the 10 women were admitted to the hospital according to the City of South Lake Tahoe’s website.
A JAMA Pediatrics article explains the dramatic rise in children’s hospitalizations related to marijuana in Colorado since legalization. In 10 cases, the product was not in a child-resistant container; in 40 scenarios (34%) there was poor child supervision or product storage. Edible products were responsible for 51 (52% ) of exposures. The report claimed that child-resistant packaging has not been as effective in reducing kids’ unintended exposure to pot as hoped.
The report mentions the death of one child, an 11-month-old baby. Nine of the children had symptoms so serious that they ended up in the intensive care unit of Colorado Children’s Hospital. Two children needed breathing tubes.
Hamza Warsame, 16, jumped 6 stories after smoking pot in Seattle in December. Photo: Seattle Times, from the Warsame Family
The state of Washington has a similar problem with edibles, as reported on the King County Health Department’s website. From 2013 to May 2015, there were 46 cases of children’s intoxications related to marijuana edibles reported in Washington. However, reporting is voluntary and the state estimates that number could be much higher.
In May, a father plead guilty to deliberately giving his 4-year-old daughter marijuana-laced cake in Vancouver, Washington. He was sentenced to two years in prison.
Intoxication from marijuana edibles has risen steadily since legalization. Source: King County Department of Health. Top photo: AP
In Hingham, MA, there was a 911 related to teen girl who ingested marijuana edibles. The candies were in a package labelled Conscious Creations, which didn’t disclose ingredients. Massachusetts has a medical marijuana program, but it is not clear how or to whom they were sold or dispensed.
July, 2016: Two California teens were hospitalized after eating a marijuana-laced cookie. The teens reported purchasing the cookie from a third teenager who was subsequently arrested.
July, 2016: A California man was arrested for giving candy laced with marijuana to a 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old boy; the 6-year-old was hospitalized for marijuana poisoning.
July, 2016: Police in Arizona arrested a mother for allegedly giving her 11- and 12-year-old children gummy candy infused with marijuana. Police say the marijuana-infused candy was originally purchased by an Arizona medical marijuana user, but was illegally transferred to the mother in question. (State medical marijuana programs have poor track records of assuring the “medicine” goes to whom it is intended.)
On April 27, a Georgia woman was arrested after a 5- year-old said he ate a marijuana cake for breakfast. The child was taken to the hospital for treatment following the incident; according to officials, his pulse was measured at over 200 beats per minute.
Photo of Richard Tom by John Matrix. It originally appeared on another website, Bike List
The number of bicyclists hit and killed by stoned drivers, or critically injured, is growing. Of course it happens most frequently where marijuana is legalized or where there is medical marijuana. Congressman Earl Blumenauer is a big advocate for bicycling, a healthy activity at odds with the marijuana businesses he supports.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Portland, is a great supporter of bicycling. However, advocating for marijuana puts bicyclists in grave danger.
There were at least two fatal bicycling accidents in the Portland area involving impaired drivers this spring. Articles mention that the drivers were under influence but don’t reveal what substances caused the impairment. Stoned drivers are more common in the day while drunk drivers are usually out in the dark.
Kalamazoo, Michigan, June 7
The driver who killed five bicyclists near near Kalamazoo, Michigan on June 6, was high on drugs, legal drugs according to the prosecutors. It may have been “medical” marijuana which is legal in Michigan. Four more bicyclists were injured. MADD warns that “drugged” driving will overtake drunk driving as a cause of accidents by 2020. Marijuana is the most common drug found with drugged drivers.
Stacy Reynolds and Joe Ramos were much beloved in the community and mourned after their death. A stoned 17-year-old without a criminal record was driving home from smoking pot with friends.
In Berkeley, California, a terrible crash happened when a driver had just come from a medical marijuana dispensary. The woman was dragged and badly injured but she survived. It should be mentioned that Berkeley gives out marijuana to homeless residents, a program which makes it more difficult for them to get back on their feet.
California’s Proposition 64 is called the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Anyone who believes that legalizing marijuana will keep it out of the hands of teenagers is nuts. At least three of these fatal crashes were caused by 17-year-old drivers. Sanctioning adult use of the substance means the children will use it more often and think it’s harmless.
When marijuana cookies and candies began to sell in Oregon’s recreational marijuana market on June 2, the THC level for edibles could be no more than 15 milligrams per serving. (THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana. )
Most pot products currently sold in Colorado and Washington exceed 20 percent THC. Marijuana cookies and candies in Colorado and Washington can have as much as 10 servings, increasing the chance of psychotic reactions. (Photo above is by Krystyna Wentz-Graff/Oregonian)
While Oregon’s THC limits on edibles are lower than elsewhere, Oregon’s THC limits on marijuana extracts seem rather high. According to rules set up by the state, buyers are allowed one container of up to 1000 milligrams of THC extract. Extracts are concentrates processed from marijuana and used to make edibles. The extracts also can be smoked or vaporized. Let’s hope novices won’t be buying the extracts. The public and children must be protected! Lotions and topical ointments may now have 6% THC.
