Manufacturing concentrated cannabis using butane can be extremely dangerous and is illegal under California law, whether for medical or recreational purposes. Possession, sale, and use of concentrates manufactured with butane are, however, allowed under California law (but illegal under federal law) so long as you comply with all medical marijuana laws set forth in the Compassionate Use Act and Medical Marijuana Program Act.
We do not endorse or promote the manufacture of butane hash oil, but we realize that it is taking place and for safety purposes and in the spirit of harm reduction, we offer the following tips and suggestions:
Butane is highly flammable and explosive, and can potentially contain poisonous chemicals
DON’T do any extractions indoors (the worst possible place is in a small sealed room).
DON’T allow butane gas to pool or collect in low areas, which is most likely in confined areas with no breeze.
DON’T forget to keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
DON’T work without proper safety equipment like eye protection and gloves.
DON’T use cheap butane or camping butane, which can contain high levels of harmful chemicals such as Mercaptans or Sulfur Dioxide.
DON’T use butane with added smells, which is left behind and can make the oil taste very bad.
DON’T use butane brands made with Isobutane (2-methylpropane), which is more toxic and hazardous than quality pure n-Butane, which extracts better and leaves little to no residues in the oil (good brands to use include Colibri, Newport, Cora, CTC, Colton, Dunhill, Davidoff, Fackelman, Win, Nibo, Sarome, Calor Gas Match, Unilight, K2, Supergas, Ventti, Vector, King butane, Lucienne, and Blaster).
DON’T forget to do a mirror test to check to see if a new brand of butane is okay to use: spray butane on a clean mirror and look for it
to evaporate without leaving a lot of residue.
DON’T use smaller butane cans (like little, two-ounce cans), as you will need at least eight ounces of butane for every one ounce of plant material.
DON’T use bad smelling or tasting plant material, which will result in bad tasting oil.
DON’T use a copper extraction tube without cleaning it well before each extraction, as copper tarnish can be extracted by the butane, and
can carry nasty copper smell to the oil (stainless steel or glass tubes do not have this problem).
DON’T use plastic, brass, steel, or galvanized steel pipe tubes, which can contaminate your oil and make you sick.
DON’T use boiling water to purge the butane from your oil, as this can cause a violent reaction (stick to merely hot water).