Dear Editor:

A couple of weeks ago a bill authored by Sen. Mendoza passed the State Senate 40 to 0. The bill named SB212, is supposed to deter the manufacture of butane hash oil in residential neighborhoods and businesses. 

Essentially with BHO, what the oil does is that it is heated marijuana, the oil is extracted, then cools to a waxy substance, and smoked to obtain a purer high. This “tweak” on the legalization of marijuana in the state under Prop 215 and SB 420, is an unintended consequence of its original intent. 

Now I guess you have to start somewhere. I wouldn’t want to live nearby and some property explodes placing people’s lives and property in danger. But the true question is, how can you really regulate it? This new way of manufacturing marijuana due to its purity will make it more damaging, and as the money comes with it so will the risk. Also, people could just purchase their marijuana legally and then buy the instruments independently and do it in their homes without anyone knowing what’s going on.  

In the end, I don’t really know how to de- incentivize the manufacture of BHO. We really wouldn’t know what was going on inside a private residence until the house explodes and by then it might be too late. I guess there could be a tip to the police, but that would be rare due to all the money that is being made with no one wanting to mess up their profits. Maybe in the end, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone thought of just legalizing the production of hash oil for recreational use also. 

Just like I said earlier, these are the laws of unintended consequences that we have to deal with in a free society. 

Johnathan Quevedo 
Downey