Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks officials were dismayed Tuesday to see that a patch of Gregory Canyon had been vandalized with the words “dab or die” and a face with a top hat painted on the rocks.

“This is really unfortunate to see,” OSMP spokesman Phillip Yates said. “Not only does graffiti create problems for OSMP to clean and remove, but it also diminishes our visitors’ experiences on the land.”

Yates said that rangers typically use environmentally friendly chemicals to remove vandalism, but sometimes must employ sandblasters on tougher areas.

“The use of our resources to remove it takes away from our other efforts to maintain and protect the land,” he added.

This graffiti, located near the amphitheater in Gregory Canyon, referenced an increasingly popular way to smoke pot; to “dab” is to smoke a concentrated dose of cannabis made by using butane or another solvent to produce a sticky oil known commonly as wax, shatter or hash oil.

If caught, vandals in Boulder can face a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail, and they may also have to pay restitution to cover clean-up costs. The city’s graffiti ordinances apply equally to all city property including open space.

Alex Burness: burnessa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/alex_burness.