Alarmed by a rash of explosions and injuries caused when amateurs make hash oil , lawmakers in Colorado and Washington are considering spelling out what 's allowed when it comes to making the concentrated marijuana at home . The proposals came after an increase in home fires and blasts linked to homemade hash oil . In Colorado , at least 30 people were injured last year in 32 butane explosions involving hash oil — nearly three times the number reported throughout 2013 , according to officials with the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area , a state-federal enforcement program . Scroll down for video . Nicholas Broms , who was involved in a drug-related explosion last November , poses for a photo showing his burn scars from the explosion in Portland , Ore. Washington 's legal marijuana law in 2012 did not permit the production of hash or even edibles at home ; it technically remains a felony even to use weed purchased at a state-licensed store to make brownies . Nevertheless , many people have done it . Federal prosecutors in Seattle have brought charges in five cases where hash oil operations blew up , including at one apartment complex where an 87-year-old former mayor of Bellevue died after sustaining an injury while trying to escape a fire that started in another unit . People make hash oil at home for the same reasons they make beer , wine or booze — to save money , make it to personal taste , or as a hobby . Though there are safer methods , such as soaking marijuana in a vegetable-based glycerin , one common practice is to force a solvent such as butane or propane gas or liquid through leafy cannabis , a process that separates its psychoactive material from buds , leaves and stems . After the extraction , the hash-maker then releases the gas or boils off the liquid , leaving behind marijuana 's psychoactive material in a potent goop . The resulting product — called hash oil or shatter or wax in even more concentrated form — can be used in vaporizers or added to foods without the grassy taste raw pot imparts . Without proper ventilation , though , the gases can pool in a room , where a spark from an appliance can trigger a severe explosion , knocking buildings off their foundation in some cases . Washington lawmakers are proposing to allow limited home hash production , though butane or other explosive gases would be banned except for use by commercial producers . Safer methods would be OK , and adults would be allowed to use cooking oil , butter or similar substances to make edibles . Alarmed by a rash of explosions caused by amateur hash production , Colorado and Washington lawmakers are considering limits on making the marijuana concentrate at home . 'We have a little problem here with people blowing themselves up , ' said Washington state Sen. Ann Rivers , the Republican sponsor of that state 's measure . 'Anything we can do to stop that from happening . ' In Colorado , where hash regulations vary by jurisdiction , a bill up for its first vote next week in a House committee would establish a similar ban on the use of explosive gases to make hash . 'People who make it at home , they can do so with alcohol or methods that are safe , ' said Colorado state Rep. Yeulin Willett , a sponsor of the bill . Colorado 's largest jurisdiction , Denver , banned some types of home hash production late last year . A similar ban is under discussion in the state 's third-largest city , Aurora . But some marijuana activists argue that when pot is legal , concentrating it at home should be legal , too . They compare the hash explosions to fires caused by turkey fryers and call it a problem with a new product that is best addressed by consumer education . 'Sure , there have been numerous dangerous explosions and fires from idiots who are determined to blow themselves up participating in activities which need considerable safety precautions , ' said Timothy Tipton of the Rocky Mountain Caregivers Cooperative . Tipton insisted that butane extraction is perfectly safe with proper ventilation or when done outside . Supporters of home production also say Colorado 's law is on their side . The state 's marijuana legalization measure specifically included concentrated marijuana and all its production methods . This photo released Wednesday , May 21 , 2014 , by the Central Pierce Fire and Rescue , shows debris following an explosion the night before in Puyallup , Wash. when hundreds of butane canisters exploded . Just last month , the Denver district attorney dropped a case against a man facing felony charges of manufacturing marijuana concentrate and fourth-degree arson . The man , Paul Mannaioni , was charged last year after a hash oil explosion sent him and two other people to a hospital . Mannaioni challenged the legality of Denver 's hash oil ban , prompting Colorado 's former attorney general to say the marijuana amendment allows limits on home production . The charges were later dismissed after prosecutors said they could n't tie him to the explosion beyond a reasonable doubt , leaving the legality of the city 's hash oil ban unresolved . Some marijuana advocates said a statewide ban would invite more legal challenges . 'It 's a patient 's right to make their medicine , ' said Jason Warf of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council . But Colorado lawmakers backing the homemade limits said the state should err on the side of caution . 'This is something we need to nip in the bud , ' Willett said .
Lawmakers in Colorado and Texas are considering spelling out what 's happening when it comes to making the concentrated oil at home . At least 30 were injured in Colorado alone in 2005 in butane poisoning involving hash oil . firefighters make hash oil at home to earn money , make it to personal taste , or as a hobby .