There’s very little about the process of reducing marijuana plants to a potent oil that sounds like it ought to take place in a home.
involves highly flammable and explosive chemicals. Ventilation in a home setting is hardly optimum. And one spark is all it takes to blow up a kitchen and cause serious injuries.
There are valid questions about whether Amendment 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, also made it legal for individuals to undertake this industrial process in houses, apartments and condos. We don’t know how courts might rule.
That said, it’s hard to believe voters thought they were legalizing such an activity, which simply shouldn’t occur in a residential setting. It’s too dangerous.
In a commercial setting, with professional grade extraction systems, adequate ventilation and worker protection — that’s another story. We are glad to see regulations have been proposed to ensure these precautions are taken by marijuana businesses.
Homemade hash oil has come to public attention with a handful of high-profile explosions and injuries, typically burns.
But those making the oil aren’t the only ones who face the potential for injury. Children and others in the residence could be at risk. And if the accident happened in a multi-unit building, other residents could be hurt as well.
The Internet is full of sites that provide step-by-step instructions for making this oil, a drop of which supposedly gets users quickly stoned.
There are variations on how the oil is made, but typically a volatile material such as butane is used to separate it from plant leaves, stems and seeds.
As it stands, Colorado the authority to ban the use of flammable gases in home marijuana cultivation.
We hope those governments will pass ordinances to safeguard their communities from this dangerous activity.
