Lodi man severely burned while extracting oil from marijuana (4 p.m.)
By The Record
September 16, 2008 6:57 PM
LODI – A 35-year-old man set himself ablaze, both externally and internally, while attempting to extrapolate oil form a marijuana plant in a Lodi apartment Monday night , Lodi police said.
George Elhard, who has no known address , is in critical condition at the University of California, Davis , Medical Center in Sacramento after his body was set ablaze at 9 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of S. Washington St., Lodi Police reported.
Officer Dale Eubanks said Elhard put marijuana in a sock, and pushed it into a piece of PVC pipe. He then poured butane into the pipe and let it filter through the sock in order to extrapolate Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the cannabis. THC is marijuana’s active chemical.
The butane fumes were so heavy, a nearby water heater ignited, Eubanks said. A flash fire quickly set Elhard ablaze. He also breathed in the butane’s fumes, allowing the flames to encompass his lungs.
“There are lots of ways to extrapolate the oil from marijuana. This happened in a contained space, and the butane fumes just filled the bathroom,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks said some marijuana users like to ingest THC in a liquid form. The oil can be poured on cigarettes or food and is more concentrated than if smoked, he said.
By The Record
September 16, 2008 6:57 PM
LODI – A 35-year-old man set himself ablaze, both externally and internally, while attempting to extrapolate oil form a marijuana plant in a Lodi apartment Monday night , Lodi police said.
George Elhard, who has no known address , is in critical condition at the University of California, Davis , Medical Center in Sacramento after his body was set ablaze at 9 p.m. Monday in the 1000 block of S. Washington St., Lodi Police reported.
Officer Dale Eubanks said Elhard put marijuana in a sock, and pushed it into a piece of PVC pipe. He then poured butane into the pipe and let it filter through the sock in order to extrapolate Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the cannabis. THC is marijuana’s active chemical.
The butane fumes were so heavy, a nearby water heater ignited, Eubanks said. A flash fire quickly set Elhard ablaze. He also breathed in the butane’s fumes, allowing the flames to encompass his lungs.
“There are lots of ways to extrapolate the oil from marijuana. This happened in a contained space, and the butane fumes just filled the bathroom,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks said some marijuana users like to ingest THC in a liquid form. The oil can be poured on cigarettes or food and is more concentrated than if smoked, he said.