Puyallup explosion linked to marijuana extract

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I started this in LBN. The I learned that it's more than 12 hours old. Also, it's Lounge material.

Puyallup explosion linked to marijuana extract

May 21, 2014 in Region

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUYALLUP, Wash. — Hundreds of butane canisters exploded like the sound of a commercial Fourth of July fireworks display as flames erupted at a house where marijuana was illegally being processed into hash oil, police and firefighters said.

Capt. Scott Engle, who happened to be nearby Tuesday night and was the first officer on the scene, said he took cover behind his car because of the spray-can size canisters flying through the air and shrapnel.

“In 15 years of law enforcement, I’ve never heard anything like this — one explosion after another,” he said. “Very loud. Unbelievable.”
....

Central Pierce Fire and Rescue was still at the scene Wednesday dealing with damaged butane containers as hazardous materials. “The cause of this was illegal production of hash oil,” Assistant Chief Ed Hrivnak said. ... The butane canisters are typically used as fuel for camp stoves. But they also are used in a process to concentrate the THC drug found in marijuana into hash oil.

As opposed to the legal production of hash oil.

[Aristus]

1. I didn't hear a thing last night.

I live in Puyallup. I wonder where the explosion was located...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Going to Pot?

Going to Pot?

It hasn’t caused the havoc opponents predicted, but Colorado’s bold marijuana experiment is having some unexpected consequences.

By Josh Voorhees May 21 2104 3:58 PM

....
Edibles aren’t the only problem. Colorado authorities are also dealing with a rash of fiery house explosions caused by pot enthusiasts making THC-rich hash oil in their homes through a dangerous process that involves heavy amounts of butane, a highly flammable gas that can linger and ignite. Earlier this week in a suburb of Colorado Springs, firefighters responded to one such explosion at an apartment and found two adults and a 3-year-old child trapped inside. No one was injured, although the adults now face reckless endangerment charges in addition to child abuse and arson. It was a similar scene late last month in Jefferson County, where hash oil–making is believed to have caused a blast that destroyed a townhouse. All told, firefighters have responded to more than 30 such explosions this year already, roughly three times the number from all of last year, according to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area agency.

Regulators are already pursuing some obvious solutions. Lawmakers are considering legislation that would require edibles to be individually wrapped and labeled, both to give consumers a better idea of what they’re getting themselves into and in hopes of keeping the treats out of the mouths of children. (Officials have already limited the amount of THC in edibles to 10 milligrams per serving, with the number of servings in a package likewise capped at 10—nice round numbers that, as Rolling Stone’s Bruce Barcott has pointed out, suggest officials are guessing as to how much is too much at this point.) Stopping the meth lab–like house explosions may be harder, but one option that has been floated is a crackdown on the bulk sale of butane, much like the strict limits on over-the-counter cold medicines that are often the building blocks of meth production.