1. Assessing the Dangers of Dabbing and the Future of Marijuana Policy*
Butane Hash Oil:
Assessing the Dangers of Dabbing and the Future of Marijuana Policy*
Bryan Lee Miller, John M. Stogner, Holly Ventura Miller, & J. Mitchell Miller
*This study was sponsored, in part, by Grant No RN-BX0004 awarded by the US Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Delaware County (OH) Sheriff Office or the U.S. Department of Justice.
ABSTRACT
In the United States, the practice referred to as “dabbing” has seen an apparent upswing in popularity in the last eighteen months. “Dabbing” refers to the use of butane extracted marijuana products that typically offer users a much higher THC content than flower cannabis. Users place a small amount of product on the exposed surface of a “nail” that has been previously heated with a blowtorch. This process allows them to consume a large quantity of THC in a single inhalation. We examine issues related to this practice and offer insight as to how this practice will likely impact ongoing legalization and medicalization debates.
BUTANE HASH OIL (BHO)
Dab(s) is the colloquial name for concentrated Butane Hash Oil (BHO). A THC concentrate created through use of solvents via either open column extraction or a closed-loop system. Products have a much higher THC concentration than traditional flower cannabis. They typically are consumed by placing the product on a heated surface and inhaling the vapors.
DABBING TERMINOLOGY
Oil rig/rig- A water pipe or bong designed specifically to use concentrates, with the bowl replaced by a nail and dome (or by a swing or skillet).
Nail- A hollow rod used in place of a bowl to use concentrates, usually made of titanium (glass and quartz are also used). Swing or skillet- A small metallic plate or pan clipped with wires to an oil rig and used to smoke concentrates. The plate is heated and then swung to the pipe opening before a concentrate is applied. A swing would be used in lieu of a nail.
Wand, dabber, or Pick- A device used to apply concentrates to a heated surface.
Dome or globe- A concave glass cap placed over a hot nail to contain vapors. Torch- A small blowtorch used to heat a nail or skillet for using concentrates (usually a handheld crème brûlée torch or propane canister).
MANUFACTURING
Commercial Manufacturing-
Closed loop system: extraction method and equipment that recaptures the solvent gas released for reuse, typically associated with commercial or medical production.
Blasting-
Slang term for open column butane extraction; often refers to amateur production.
Shatter Glass
Budder
Tangerine Shatter
Honeycomb
Crumble Wax
Earwax
DANGERS
Manufacturing-
In a process referred to as “blasting,” butane is passed through a tube containing densely packed cannabis trimmings with a filter that keeps the plant material in place for a liquid harvest that is collected out of a Pyrex-type dish. This process invites problems as it requires a highly volatile and flammable compound which may accumulate in enclosed spaces. Amateur cooks have proven apt to make mistakes with grave consequences as fires and explosions have been reported in numerous states.
High levels of THC-
BHO products do have concentrations that reach at least five and as much as ten times that of flower cannabis. Users typically consume this more potent form in an all or nothing fashion, inhaling all of the dab’s vapors at once Users report that dabbing provides a stronger, longer, and qualitatively different high while media reports have linked dabbing to effects atypical to marijuana use such as violence, loss of consciousness, dependence, and intensification of mental illness.
SAMPLE
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
Data-
A mixed methods research design consisting of interrelated process and outcome phases was executed to evaluate a substance abuse treatment initiative in central Ohio. Interview sessions were conducted approximately every other month in the Delaware County (Ohio) Jail between
Methodology-
While the subject of dabbing was not explicitly identified as a topic of either interest or concern prior to the onset of the evaluation, offender intake files and the interview guide queried on drug of choice and organically identified BHO and dabbing as a secondary thematic phenomena. Of the 34 inmates whose treatment experience and outcomes were examined, six (18%) had experienced dabbing. The treatment program was populated per a rolling admissions basis. Within this context, three of the BHO users were interviewed twice in 4-5 person focus groups during approximately hour sessions and the other three were interviewed a single time.
Quotes-
The potency of BHO was confirmed by all of the users as evidenced by comments such as: “It just takes you away – far, far away”; “You just sort of melt into the couch like Pink Floyd’s comfortably numb”, and “I just zone out and time flies faster than you realize. Last time (we smoked) before a movie and I went to sleep during the first ten minutes.”
An upper middle class twenty-six year old mixed race male related that: “At first you want to show it off to all of your stoner friends – everyone agrees that it’s the bomb – some people almost pass out – but then you realize you can’t get anymore and you won’t be able to get as high without it. So, you just say it’s all gone…”
A thirty year old black male whose drug of choice was cocaine characterized the effects of BHO in terms that seemed to best summarize the sample’s consensus opinion: “You get the effects of a harder drug like mushrooms or hydrocodone, more like a mix of these, by just smoking this special hash.”
Conclusions-
The use of BHO has spread outside of medical and retail marijuana states. Users characterize the drugs effects as being qualitatively distinct from flower cannabis and likened the experience to “harder drugs.”
Policy Considerations-
As new marijuana policy changes are considered, the impact of dabbing will need to be considered. The risk associated with blasting and the use of less pure products that are concerns when marijuana is banned must be weighed against the potential for increased usage and indirect harms associated with use of butane extracts that would be problematic when marijuana is deregulated.
Citations-
Miller, B. L., Stogner, J. M. & Miller, J. M. (In press) “Exploring Butane Hash Oil Use: A Research Note.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Stogner, J. M. & Miller, B. L. (2015) “The Dabbing Dilemma: A Call for Research on Butane Hash Oil and other Alternate Forms of Cannabis Use.” Substance Abuse. DOI: /
Stogner, J. M. & Miller, B. L. (2015) “Assessing the Dangers of ‘Dabbing’ – Mere Marijuana or Harmful New Trend?” Pediatrics. 136(1):1-3.