New Washington marijuana laws take effect Friday

Since legalization in Washington state, many new regulations are being put into place to help keep the industry under closer control. One important change is following many butane explosions from inexperienced people trying to make marijuana concentrates. The new law requires a special license granted to those properly trained and in state-certified environments to use butane to create the increasingly popular concentrates. Other changes coming to the state include: PTSD and brain injury being added as qualifying conditions for medical marijuana; no more than 15 cannabis plants can be grown in a single housing unit regardless of multiple eligible patients; health practitioners cannot have a practice primarily consisting of medical marijuana authorizations; and several more changes.

The law prevents any medical marijuana processor from using the gas. But an I-502 licensed recreational processor can use butane because the facility is in a highly-controlled and state-certified environment.

Hash oil explosions have become more common with inexperienced manufacturers improperly using butane to extract the ultra-high potency oil derived from marijuana.