1 arrest in S. Tahoe marijuana trimmings case
Nearly 300 pounds of marijuana trimmings were confiscated Thursday in South Lake Tahoe.
Dwayne Crenshaw was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana for sale and manufacturing of a controlled substance.
“The marijuana trimmings were being used to create concentrated cannabis oils via several methods including butane fuel extraction,” Matt Underhill, commander of South Lake El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team, said in a statement.
Also found at the Fresno Avenue residence on Aug. 7 at 7am were 180 expended and 65 partially used butane fuel canisters, all 300 ml in size. Agents seized nine extraction tubes made of glass and steel, which they said were used to process marijuana/hash oil. Agents also confiscated approximately 10 ounces of concentrated cannabis in various forms.
“In addition to being illegal, (butane hash oil) extraction is a highly volatile process. When an ignition source such as a cigarette or pilot light comes into contact with the butane, an explosion will occur. The size and damage of the explosion are dependent upon the amount of gas present, but can cause serious injuries and death,” Underhill said.
The last such explosion in South Lake Tahoe was in 2013.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Because today’s marijuana just isn’t strong enough.
SMH.
So cannabis enforcement has become a fire hazard issue. I get it that the enforcement folks aren’t the ones writing the laws, but they seem to be having a lot of fun looking for creative ways to prosecute them. While the American public looks for ways to get rid of this nonsensical and wasteful enforcement.
Someone more financially sophisticated than I needs to do a study on how much we’re all wasting on prosecuting “crimes” that are mostly committed by common, law supportive (if somewhat libertarian inclined) citizens. Who, from time to time, lose their entire financial well being defending themselves from nonsensical and not even remotely publically supported criminal prosecutions. For being caught doing nothing different from what their children, friends, neighbors and fellow LTN posters are doing.
I’m all for legalizing pot but NOT for someone using butane to create oils In a house in a residential neighborhood.
So Copper, would you want to live next door to someone that might blow up a house? Pot is one thing, but making hash oil using propane can be dangerous in a neighborhood. If they want to blow themselves up, do it out in the country somewhere away from other homes.
copper
Did you once enforce these laws ?
Several recent studies show that intake of MJ causes brain damage and psychosis, this is why the laws should be in place. Imagine concentrating the THC and see what it does to brains. This stuff is dangerous and those doing indoor grows are usually stealing the power and wiring the grow dangerously and illegally. The explosions are very dangerous and are on the rise. There is also the theft of water this year from MJ growers from school and fire dept. water tanks and the toll on fish and wildlife from MJ growers diverting watersheds. Not to mention the drug cartel involvement on our public lands even in high elevations like Alpine County making the forests unsafe for recreation. The crackdown on MJ growers and THC extraction is very legitimate and should be a priority.
Steven, folks employed by the criminal justice system are required to enforce the law. That’s the “criminal” part. The “justice” part requires that they use discretion to ensure that their enforcement is reasonable and fair and serves the public need. By observing and participating in the process, they often develop strong personal opinions regarding how and whether it works.
Justice, you are basing your opinion on junk science and speculation. To what studies are you referring?
Justice, controversies like climate change and marijuana legalization almost always produce conflicting studies. Even scientists often have built in biases.
But all your other justifications for opposing legalization have been directly caused by criminalization. Why would someone grow marijuana in their crawl space, or steal water and electricity, or start a grow in the middle of a forest except to hide what they’re doing from the authorities?
Criminals aren’t going away any time soon – the end of prohibition didn’t eliminate the organized crime it created, but you can buy a bottle of booze at Raley’s. It might make you drunk, but it won’t make you blind. And you wouldn’t be afraid to introduce the sales clerk to your daughter.
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/126/6/1252.short
Copper, I think you a missing the point here. I don’t think the marijuana is the problem. It was the danger of an explosion that was the biggest problem. Do you not remember the two explosions from people doing just what this guy was doing? Perhaps you’ve smoked just a little too much weed yourself to comprehend the fact that it was potentially dangerous to himself and his neighbors.
I think there are several people who are missing points here. If you only can understand your perspective, why bother reading others’ comments at all?
All these horror stories will go away for good, once weed is legalized. And the biggest horror story of all, the risk that your kid could start using cannabis, will also go away. That’s right, according to the latest stats out of Colorado, pot use among teens appears to have dropped after legalization. State data shows Colorado high school kids getting high at lower rate than national average in 2013. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/08/07/pot-use-among-colorado-teens-appears-to-drop-after-legalization