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Firefighters warn of hash oil

A man who suffered severe burns to 12 percent of his body when butane fumes ignited while he was making homemade hash oil demonstrates how he made the marijuana concentrate at his home in Denver. The Durango Fire Protection District is reminding residents that making hash oil at home is illegal and dangerous.

The Durango Fire Protection District wants to warn residents of the dangers of making hash oil at home before it becomes an issue here.

All methods of hash-oil production require a solvent – such as butane, ether, isopropanol, ethanol, acetone, pentane, hexanes, n-Heptane and naphtha – to remove THC oil from the plant.

But heating these solvents can result in fire or explosion, and breathing the fumes can cause lung damage, brain damage or death, according to a news release issued Thursday by DFPD.

“We encourage those either making hash oil at home or considering making their own hash oil (to) disregard the YouTube videos showing you how to cook with solvents ‘safely’ – they are simply not true and doing this at home can be fatal or leave individuals with burn injuries,” the fire department said in its release.

Creating hash oil without a license was made a felony earlier this month in Colorado.

The fire department is unaware of any incidents of hash-oil production occurring so far in the district, said Scot Davis, community education coordinator for the DFPD.

Hash oil is available for purchase at local marijuana shops, he said.

“That’s probably the better way to go,” he said.

shane@durangoherald.com



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