TEEN DIES IN HASH OIL EXPLOSION

An 18-year-old Chilliwack teen is dead after hash oil he was cooking
in the bedroom of a McIntosh Drive apartment exploded and burned more
than 40 per cent of his body.

The teenager, whose name is not being released by police at the
family's request, died late Monday at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital
where he was taken for treatment of severe burns to his arms and legs
following the Saturday morning explosion.

"This is a tragic incident that reveals the true dangers associated to
drugs and drug production," Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said.

Two female teens and a male of unknown age were also in the apartment
at the time of the 11:30 a.m. explosion, but were not injured.

Dunlop could not confirm whether police investigators believe it was
the teen's first time converting marijuana into oil, or whether he was
producing it for personal use rather than for sales.

But she said there was a "relatively small amount" of marijuana in the
apartment compared to what is usually seen in producing drugs for
trafficking purposes.

However, along with a quantity of marijuana, police also seized score
sheets and various weapons in the apartment - along with the isopropyl
alcohol and butane used to manufacture hash oil.

According to an Internet website, hash oil is the most potent form of
cannabis, but making it is fraught with danger because of the highly
flammable butane. Isopropyl alcohol is not as flammable, but fumes can
ignite when exposed to a spark or flame. An ounce of marijuana shake
will produce 1-3 grams of hash oil.

Dunlop pointed out that there's always a risk involved in producing
any kind of drug, from the fires caused by marijuana grow-ops to the
chemical explosions in meth labs.

"There's always a risk involved," she said. "As a result of the
injuries in this case, there was a man's life claimed."

"Our thoughts are with the family as they deal with their loss," she
said.