Any explanation of Butane Honey Oil, sometimes called Butane Hash Oil, must start with an explanation of THC in Cannabis.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive constituent of Cannabis. It is what gets you “high” when vaporized or smoked, such as with a traditional pipe, or rolled Joint. Concentrates come without the majority of plant matter which is combusted when traditionally smoked. These concentrates can come in the form of tincture, a CBD-rich cannabis oil like Charlotte’s Web or Rick Simpson’s Oil, just to name a few.
Generally this is a cerebral experience, contrasted by a more physical (body) experience when ingested as an edible. Many people are unaware that BHO can be an ingredient in baked goods, such as “BHO Brownies”…,!
The extraction process strips out the THC from the plant material reducing it to a resin with cannabinoids permeating every drop. These resins can then be processed into “wax” “shatter” “ honeycomb”, that can then be used for “dabs” or inhaled via vapor pens, and other similar devices.
For those who want to smoke hash oil the Vape pen seems to be the most popular for several reasons. It is compact and can be carried discretely and quietly used in public places, especially now that nicotine pens are popular and are similar in appearance. There are now preloaded BHO cartridges for specialized vape pens that can be especially useful for medical patients to quietly medicate when ever and where ever needed.
For those with more refined tastes you will find custom hand blown glass bongs stretching into the thousands, if you have those deep enough pockets. For the rest of us there are plenty of decent devices at very affordable price points. This is something that would be used in the privacy of the home, as they resemble the Marijuana bongs of old. They are effective for those that enjoylargevolumes of vapor “,hits”,!
Often times it can become a bit confusing when first starting to explore Cannabis Concentrates. There are the Oil concentrates, resin concentrates such as BHO, hash is a Cannabis concentrate. Fortunately, now that the veil is being lifted on this ancient and historically significant plant, its many uses and benefits to society are becoming increasingly visible.
Butane hash oil has its critics!
Just like anything that alters our senses and effects our mental state, there will be those that will examine and scrutinize. Some have tried to label BHO ”, the crack cocaine of cannabis”! This however in my view is leaning toward the extreme and can often appear in political talking points whenever close to election time.
Yes the butane hash oil side effects are more intense than that of a joint or a hit on a vaporizer with cannabis buds. Yes there can be cases of people having extreme experiences, especially if they are new to cannabis in general. I recall my first time, and this was back in the mid sixties and the “weed” was hardly what it is today. 
There are differences in the consumption of BHO by some users, some are using it as an ingredient in edibles. The medical community has a totally different culture than that of the recreational crowd. That strong BHO vape hit may be just what that patient needs to ward off a seizure.
The cannabis in the sixties was generally about 2% THC where as the very potent buds in todays market will range around the 20% area, and properly processed BHO can be in the 80% area or higher. Attention here needs to be emphasized that percentages in BHO and all concentrates are not all of the important factors. You will find that the processing the BHO is critical for a host of reasons, to include potency, quality and your health!
The critics pointing to the higher percentages, should take a look at the alcohol percentages on a bottle of beer and that of a shot of “Wild Turkey” whiskey! The critics of the reckless processing of BHO in the home garage or clandestine indoor location to avoid detection needs to be louder and more widespread.
Can I safely process BHO on my own at home?
Perhaps the first question you should ask is “should” I process BHO at home at all! Is your use of BHO personal recreational, or medical? If it is medical, have you explored the variances of cannabis strains and their “healthful” properties, related to what condition you are suffering from?
Here are some very serious and important, leading questions!
Can I “,safely blast” my material outside of my residence in the open air to increase safety, and in open view? Am I doing this legally? Have I sufficiently educated myself on all aspects of this, to include all options and safety measures?
There needs to be a challenge to the leaders in this industry to find safer processing methods that can filter down any and all users.
The home hobbyist can safely brew their own beer and ale, often these neighborhood entrepreneurs take it all the way to the local neighborhood mini brewery! And they are not putting the neighborhood in danger fiery explosions and chaos. Yet currently trying to process BHO exposes one to materials far too dangerous for the home hobbyist to handle. Although there are other ways of processing, cheap always seems to win out.
Handling the political climate on this has already taken familiar roads. California has been wrestling with the double edged sword of potentially banning any processing of BHO, yet the neighborhood dispensary could legally sell the finished product.
In Washington State Cannabis was put in the hands of the State Liquor Control Board. They immediately fell to the inept levels that prevailed when the State owned and controlled all of the liquor stores in the entire State. The State tax on liquor nearly doubled the cost of alcohol in the State. Once again excessive controls and regulations have led to bottlenecks in the supply system. There is already news alleging corruption and price fixing by growers, that may lead to suits and of course, more regulation.
There are regulations that are necessary, however absolutely not when it is based on pandering to a political base by politicians who want to put careers first. Washington State as of this writing has still remained silent as to whether they will allow the Medical Cannabis industry to exist in 2015.
In Seattle the city has notified 330 medical Cannabis business that they must get state business permits or cease operations, and are still waiting to hear of the final deadline which may come as soon as of next year or perhaps by the first of 2016. This naturally leads to the Federal Government and the actions that they must take instead of dancing the “political polka” that seems to be the favorite past time of Congress. 
The federal government has ignored requests for removing Cannabis in the schedule 1 category since as early as 1972. They have continually insisted that Cannabis has no medical value. At the same time the Food and Drug Administration and stated that the wide spread use has the high potential for abuse.
Perhaps all of the agencies should get on the same page. We see that there is rampant prescription drug abuse, how about alcohol abuse and its potential debilitating effects. The most egregious example is“Nicotine”! Currently it is estimated that over four hundred thousand people die prematurely from the effects of primary or secondhand smoke, and millions more live with serious related medical conditions.
I am afraid that this will take much longer that some of our proponents want to accept. In order to enact change it will undoubtedly begin at the grass roots level. Currently with the political climate as muddled as it is there can be nothing expected until the next election cycle at the very least.
We will address and discuss the role that advertisers, manufactures, and even people that have web sites must take steps to keep the public informed and engaged in an effort in crease safety in processing. Look for solutions out side of the box perhaps. The key to this will be education. It is not difficult to enact change, change is something that is constant in the Universe.
Please join in and make your opinion heard, but please be respectful of differing ideas and opinions.
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