Fire officials plead with residents to curb homemade marijuana derivatives

AURORA | As you might expect, the containers full of pot in sleek cabinets behind the counter at Terrapin Care Station remain the most popular items at the Aurora recreational marijuana store.

But manager Adam Brous said a close second are the wide array of “glass” and “shatter,” or THC concentrates.

“It’s one of our most popular items,” he said last week as a steady stream of customers strolled through the door at 11091 E. Mississippi Ave.

Brous said the company gets their concentrates from a handful of licensed laboratories in the area and those producers have to follow a strict set of rules, from fire prevention to where the machines are bolted to the floor.

But, Aurora fire and city officials say, professionals in ultra-safe labs aren’t the only people cranking out the oils and other marijuana concentrates. Plenty of people with little training and few safeguards are making the stuff too, and lawmakers are looking at curbing the practice.

According to Aurora fire Capt. Siegfried Klein, since firefighters came across their first hash oil fire in late 2013, they’ve dealt with another six. The explosions have sent several people to the hospital with serious burns, Klein said.

Still, Klein said, while the practice is dangerous, fire investigators have had trouble filing charges against the people who cause the fires because current laws surrounding producing hash oils are tough to enforce. Klein asked the city council early this month to pass an ordinance that would allow fire investigators to file charges in municipal court against people caught making their own concentrates without a city license.

While firefighters have come across several fires caused by the process, Klein said they expect there are more people doing it that have not been caught. He said the process seems easy and requires minimal equipment, tempting people to try.

Councilman Bob Roth — who backed the plan along with the rest of the Public Safety Committee — said he would like to consider barring the sale of some of the devices used to manufacture the oils.

“I question whether we are going far enough with this,” he said.

But Klein said the manufacture can involve common products, like a bike pump, so a far-reaching ban might not help.

Still, Klein said, despite the risks, the licensed manufacturers he is familiar with take the appropriate precautions.

“The manufacturers do it right,” Klein said.

Nobody is licensed yet to produce marijuana oil within city limits, according to city records.

At Terrapin, Brous said it doesn’t make much sense to him for people to undergo the risky process at home while watching a YouTube how-to video, especially in a post-Amendment 64 Colorado when they can legally buy the stuff.