Ask Joe!
Each month, IAPE's primary instructor, Joe Latta, answers one of your questions. Consider writing us if you have a question that needs an answer. We would love to hear from you.
To submit a question for Joe to answer here, use our Contact Us page.
Question:
Dear Joe,
We are starting to see a drug surface called butane or butane honey oil. What are some recommendations or resources for how to package, store, and dispose of this drug?
Thanks, Honey O. In Kansas
Dear Honey O:
When I read your question I asked, what is honey oil? Early in my law enforcement career we arrested people for possession of Mary Jane, weed, grass, bombers, doobies, and don't forget the roach, which all are basically the flowering tops of the marijuana plant that contains THC (the active ingredient in all marijuana forms). Keep in mind that this was before the "natural selection" process was used to produce higher quality plants with higher THC content. Genetically modified marijuana (GMO) buds called M80s, are due to be available in some states this year. Times change, and so do the names. Incidentally, at that time, one ounce or more of the lowest quality marijuana was a felony and going to state prison was not unusual
We would also find concentrated cannabis in the form of hashish, or hash oil, where a solvent was used to remove the resins containing THC and create either a waxy or an oily substance. Various types of flammable solvents were used; almost all had negative health effects, and had to be removed before its use.
Now we have "Honey Oil", which is a new name to me. What is Honey Oil? My research found that Honey Oil (also known as hashish oil, BHO, wax, sativa bho, shatter, crumble, indica bho, dabs, or budder) is just another name for concentrated cannabis in an oil form using butane as a solvent.
Honey oil or hash oil can be the most potent of the main cannabis products because of its high content of THC. This is becoming a problem again in states where decriminalization of marijuana laws has occurred. Explosions and fires related to manufacturing attempts in homes have been reported due to the high flammability of the butane, or other solvents used.
After I found out was honey oil was, I reached out to my crime lab colleagues to find out more. The following responses were received:
Brian E. Ostrom, Criminalist 4, Oregon State Crime Lab
Oregon State Police, Portland Metro Forensic Laboratory
"We are also seeing butane oil in Oregon. The biggest issue is to make sure the oil has "aired out" before storing, you have to get the butane out. So it depends on how much oil you have"
Yvette A. Burney - Commanding Officer
Los Angeles Police Department - Scientific Division
Scientific Investigation Division
My SID staff is telling me that it typically comes to us in plastic wrap or foil and after we test, we repackage it in what it came to us in. If we collect it ourselves, we package in Nalgene jars.
Oliver S. Spicer, Jr.; M.S.- Lab Manager
Analytical Section (Crime Laboratory)
Forensic Services Bureau
Miami-Dade Police Department
We have not received any submissions in the lab. Butane honey oil is an extract of THC from marijuana using butane. It is called "honey oil" because the extract is similar in color and consistency to honey.
Butane is a flammable liquid and is used in camping stoves, pipes, etc. Since butane is flammable, containers should be stored in a ventilated area to ensure that the containers or vials are properly sealed. The THC resin should not pose a problem since all of the butane will have evaporated in the extraction process.
Demi Garvin,
Asst. Director Richland County Sheriffs Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Oh yes, very familiar with the substance. It is a very, very, potent concentration of THC.
Here are my thoughts:
a) Butane itself should never be accepted into the Evidence and Property Unit. It is highly flammable and explosive and would typically not be analyzed by the laboratory.
b) "Butane Honey Oil" aka Honey Oil, BHO, earwax, wax, et al., is a very concentrated and potent form of THC. It can present (as physical evidence) as a solid, waxy looking substance or also as a very viscous, sticky dark liquid. It should be protected from light and stored in a controlled temperature environment.
------------
There you have it. Three geographical areas of the country and they all do something slightly different. The bottom line is how does the local Crime Lab that you use want it packaged? All lab directors mentioned the use of butane as a hazard, and the need to keep it tightly sealed. Small quantities (glass vials or Nalgene jars) should not present a problem in the evidence room, but I suggest your agency should call out a HazMat team to take down and package a home lab.
Regards,
Joe Latta
Executive Director
|
|
|
|
|
Headline Of The Month
Headlines With Unintended Consequences!
The Trend Continues! A trend that impacts property room
January 22, 2015
Colorado Public Radio Jan 22, 2014 Nebraska cops continue to complain about burden of Colorado pot Deuel County, Neb. Sheriff Adam Hayward in his evidence room, a former jail cell. About 80 lbs of marijuana is stored there from recent arrests. "90 % of this came from Colorado," Hayward says. Police in Nebraska say Colorado's marijuana industry is giving them fits. Law enforcement officers there say their state didn't legalize pot -- but it's almost as if they did, as drug dealers bring it over the border. NPR's Kirk Siegler visited some small Nebraska towns -- and hooked up with Sheriff Adam Hayward of Deuel County, Neb. With only two deputies, Sheriff Hayward enforces the law in the vast county, which covers 450 square miles and has a population of about 2,000 people. Hayward says felony arrests for marijuana possession -- meaning the possession of more than a pound of pot -- have increased significantly since Colorado legalized the drug more than a year ago, up from four such arrests in 2011 to 32 last year. Hayward told Siegler that the increase in marijuana arrests adds a $150,000 burden to the county. Deuel County already has minimal resources, Hayward claims. It no longer has the funds to operate a jail; in fact, Hayward uses an empty cell as an evidence room. Today it holds pounds of marijuana, the majority of it labeled from Colorado retailers. Hayward and other law enforcement officials in Nebraska argue that Colorado has few controls to keep criminals from what they call "dispensary shopping" -- i.e. purchasing small quantities of marijuana from several dispensaries, amassing large amounts, and bringing it back over the Nebraska border to sell. Colorado does not track purchasers of pot because to do so would violate Amendment 64. However, state residents can only purchase an ounce of recreational marijuana at a time, and out-of-state residents are limited to a quarter of an ounce. Some say this limit would make such dispensary shopping so onerous as to be unlikely. Siegler told Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that Hayward and other police officers are also concerned that Colorado marijuana is more potent than street weed. Hayward told Siegler, "We need to stand up and say no, we don't want this stuff here, it's dangerous, it's bad for people's health, you don't want your kids getting involved in this." Siegler also visited a dispensary in Sedgewick, Colorado, about eight miles from the Nebraska border. Dispensary owners advertise it as the closest to Nebraska; Siegler says the small town is seeing more traffic these days, drawn by that retailer. Siegler notes that the amounts of Colorado marijuana actually moving over the border are unknown. He adds that the western Nebraska county is politically conservative and that law enforcement officials there don't want marijuana legalized in that state. Nebraska has decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot. Police in Nebraska say Colorado's marijuana industry is giving them fits. Law enforcement officers there say their state didn't legalize pot -- but it's almost as if they did, as drug dealers bring it over the border. NPR's Kirk Siegler visited some small Nebraska towns -- and hooked up with Sheriff Adam Hayward of Deuel County, Neb.
With only two deputies, Sheriff Hayward enforces the law in the vast county, which covers 450 square miles and has a population of about 2,000 people. Hayward says felony arrests for marijuana possession -- meaning the possession of more than a pound of pot -- have increased significantly since Colorado legalized the drug more than a year ago, up from four such arrests in 2011 to 32 last year. Hayward told Siegler that the increase in marijuana arrests adds a $150,000 burden to the county.
Deuel County already has minimal resources, Hayward claims. It no longer has the funds to operate a jail; in fact, Hayward uses an empty cell as an evidence room. Today it holds pounds of marijuana, the majority of it labeled from Colorado retailers.
Hayward and other law enforcement officials in Nebraska argue that Colorado has few controls to keep criminals from what they call "dispensary shopping" -- i.e. purchasing small quantities of marijuana from several dispensaries, amassing large amounts, and bringing it back over the Nebraska border to sell.
Colorado does not track purchasers of pot because to do so would violate Amendment 64. However, state residents can only purchase an ounce of recreational marijuana at a time, and out-of-state residents are limited to a quarter of an ounce. Some say this limit would make such dispensary shopping so onerous as to be unlikely.
Siegler told Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that Hayward and other police officers are also concerned that Colorado marijuana is more potent than street weed. Hayward told Siegler, "We need to stand up and say no, we don't want this stuff here, it's dangerous, it's bad for people's health, you don't want your kids getting involved in this."
Siegler also visited a dispensary in Sedgewick, Colorado, about eight miles from the Nebraska border. Dispensary owners advertise it as the closest to Nebraska; Siegler says the small town is seeing more traffic these days, drawn by that retailer.
Siegler notes that the amounts of Colorado marijuana actually moving over the border are unknown. He adds that the western Nebraska county is politically conservative and that law enforcement officials there don't want marijuana legalized in that state. Nebraska has decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot.
Nebraska and Oklahoma sued Colorado in December over the passage of Amendment 64, saying it puts an undue burden on them and that they are struggling to enforce the federal ban on marijuana. In an interview with Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner this week, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said she believes the suit is without merit and that she will "vigorously defend the law."
- See more at: http://www.cpr.org/news/story/nebraska-cops-continue-complain-about-burden-colorado-pot#sthash.s7HEsvut.8eXtlK4m.dpuf
Police in Nebraska say Colorado's marijuana industry is giving them fits. Law enforcement officers there say their state didn't legalize pot -- but it's almost as if they did, as drug dealers bring it over the border. NPR's Kirk Siegler visited some small Nebraska towns -- and hooked up with Sheriff Adam Hayward of Deuel County, Neb.
With only two deputies, Sheriff Hayward enforces the law in the vast county, which covers 450 square miles and has a population of about 2,000 people. Hayward says felony arrests for marijuana possession -- meaning the possession of more than a pound of pot -- have increased significantly since Colorado legalized the drug more than a year ago, up from four such arrests in 2011 to 32 last year. Hayward told Siegler that the increase in marijuana arrests adds a $150,000 burden to the county.
Deuel County already has minimal resources, Hayward claims. It no longer has the funds to operate a jail; in fact, Hayward uses an empty cell as an evidence room. Today it holds pounds of marijuana, the majority of it labeled from Colorado retailers.
Hayward and other law enforcement officials in Nebraska argue that Colorado has few controls to keep criminals from what they call "dispensary shopping" -- i.e. purchasing small quantities of marijuana from several dispensaries, amassing large amounts, and bringing it back over the Nebraska border to sell.
Colorado does not track purchasers of pot because to do so would violate Amendment 64. However, state residents can only purchase an ounce of recreational marijuana at a time, and out-of-state residents are limited to a quarter of an ounce. Some say this limit would make such dispensary shopping so onerous as to be unlikely.
Siegler told Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that Hayward and other police officers are also concerned that Colorado marijuana is more potent than street weed. Hayward told Siegler, "We need to stand up and say no, we don't want this stuff here, it's dangerous, it's bad for people's health, you don't want your kids getting involved in this."
Siegler also visited a dispensary in Sedgewick, Colorado, about eight miles from the Nebraska border. Dispensary owners advertise it as the closest to Nebraska; Siegler says the small town is seeing more traffic these days, drawn by that retailer.
Siegler notes that the amounts of Colorado marijuana actually moving over the border are unknown. He adds that the western Nebraska county is politically conservative and that law enforcement officials there don't want marijuana legalized in that state. Nebraska has decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot.
Nebraska and Oklahoma sued Colorado in December over the passage of Amendment 64, saying it puts an undue burden on them and that they are struggling to enforce the federal ban on marijuana. In an interview with Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner this week, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman said she believes the suit is without merit and that she will "vigorously defend the law."
- See more at: http://www.cpr.org/news/story/nebraska-cops-continue-complain-about-burden-colorado-pot#sthash.s7HEsvut.8eXtlK4m.dpuf
|
|
Property & Evidence By the Book
2nd edition
|
|
The only book of its kind. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Managing a Property and Evidence Room
ORDER NOWSpecial Prices For Members!
|
|
|
Property & Evidence FORMS By the Book
|
|
Over 25 property room forms that can be modified by you, the property room professionals!
PROPERTY AND EVIDENCEFORMS BY THE BOOK are completely modifiable in Microsoft Word. The forms are also saved in a PDF format that provides the user the ability to fill in the boxes and use immediately
Special Prices For Members !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2015 Classes Posted
Las Vegas, NV
February 23 - 24, 2015 Sold Out - Call for Wait List
Provo, UT
March 3 - 4, 2015
Sold Out - Call for Wait List
Fort Collins, CO
March 11 - 12, 2015
Sold Out - Call for Wait List
Sioux Falls, SD
March 24 - 25, 2015
Humble, TX
April 8 - 9 2015
Forsyth, GA
April 21 - 22, 2015
Rockville, MD
April 28 - 29, 2015
24 Seat Left
Miami Township, OH
May 13 - 14, 2015
Toronto May 27 - 28, 2015
Columbia, MO
June 2 - 3, 2015 23 Seats Left
Tampa, FL
June 16 - 17, 2015
Norfork, VA
June 24 - 25, 2015
Nashville, TN
Carrollton, TX
July 14 - 15, 2015
Tacoma, WA
August 4 - 5, 2015
South San Francisco
August 18 - 19, 2015
Minneapolis, MN
August 26 - 27, 2015
Albuquerque, NM
September 8 - 9, 2015
Bridgeport, PA
September 15 - 16, 2015
Tucson, AZ
September 23 - 24, 2015
Lafayette, IN
October 7 - 8, 2015
Slidell, LA
October 20 - 21, 2015
Portland, OR
November 3 - 4, 2015
Tilton, NH November 19 - 20, 2015
Burbank, CA
December, 2015
Call for details on sponsoring a class! Can't Travel?
IAPE also offers online training! * Save on lodging
* Save on meals
* Save on gas
Click to find out more about our acclaimed property and evidence management training classes
|
|
|
Visit our Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
Got a Job? Need a Job?
IAPE is delighted to announce that we have a new job site for posting a job announcement or checking possible job opportunities.
|
|
|
Where in the World Is Joe Today?
Click the to find out where Joe is traveling and keep up to date with current property and evidence happenings
|
|
|
How would you like the jury to see this?
|
|
|
Mattresses
Better? Mattress Box
|
|
|
Electronic Digital Evidence Log
Don't Be Left Out
|
|
|
|
|
|