March 23, 2015

“Dabbing” involves inhaling vapors of a concentrated THC oil or “wax.” It can produce a dangerous “high,” according to news reports.

Superintendent David Jeck’s letter to The Falconer:

> Letters from administrators at bottom of story.Co-editor, The Falconer Fauquier High SchoolDabs, also known as hash oil or Butane Hash Oil (BHO), is the most recent craze to dominate the drug subculture. To create dabs, marijuana’s active ingredient, THC, is extracted using butane to make wax concentrate, which is then “dabbed” onto a plate, known as a nail, that has been heated with a blowtorch. When the resulting vapor is inhaled, the user receives a direct hit of 70 to 90 percent THC, nearly three times the potency of smoking strong marijuana strains. The new drug phenomenon is known as dabbing.Senior Tim O’Leary, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said that dabbing appeared in Fauquier County only a few years ago, and it’s gaining popularity. Dabs are small, easy to conceal and make, and produce no distinctive pot odor, which might lead to detection. The popular reference to smoking marijuana, 4:20, has been replaced by 7:10 (OIL upside down).“The first time ever was the end of my sophomore year when it first made its appearance on the East Coast,” O’Leary said. “It’s quicker and an easier method, and can be safer [than weed] because you don't have any carcinogens going into your lungs; it’s only pure THC.”Senior Abe Hofmann, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, first heard about dabs as a freshman and said that it produces a different, intense kind of high. Since the effect of dabs is more immediate than smoking, a user may be quickly overwhelmed.“I just read an article about it; I never thought I’d do it. The first time I did it was over the summer,” Hofmann said. “He gave me a warning, ‘Imagine toking a joint all in one hit.’ The experience for me was a burning sensation in my throat and an instant head rush, and I saw flashes of light, like closing and opening your eyes really fast. I immediately laid back. It was the highest I’ve been ever at that point, and it was really uncomfortable. It felt like my body was vibrating. I think once I got used to the feeling and the situation, then it was fun. It’s not something you do to just have a conversation with your friends. You’re going to find it hard to talk, for me personally. You’re either scared or your body won’t let you.”The administration was informed of student use of wax concentrate several months ago, according to Officer Sal Torelli, but faces challenges in detecting wax concentrate. Torelli also noted the increasing popularity and usage of marijuana overall and says that, with states beginning to legalize the plant, people are changing their views on its use.“[Dabbing] is a fairly new thing. The drug dogs can smell the plant itself, but the THC doesn’t have a smell so they can’t detect the THC,” Torelli said. “I haven’t dealt with wax yet here at all. To tell you the truth our biggest problem is marijuana; it’s out of control. It’s the worst year I’ve seen, because of the push to legalize it. Kids feel it’s OK, I’ve got parents telling me it’s going to be legal, so it’s OK, but it’s not.”Passing out and falling after consuming dabs has led to injuries ranging from cracked skulls to cracked teeth. Hoffman prefers smoking weed to dabs because it delivers a comfortable amount of THC for his body.“Dabs are really harsh on me, and it puts me in a certain state of mind where it’s full-on paranoia and not fun,” Hofmann said. “You smoke weed to relax and listen to music and have fun. [Doing dabs is] a much different and condensed high. A lot of people can handle it really well and have a really high tolerance but for me, especially in social situations, dabs just ruin me.”A gram of weed typically sells for $20, whereas a gram of wax concentrate sells for about $60. Nevertheless, many cash-strapped teen users still opt for wax.“People have compared smoking a normal dab to smoking an entire ‘g’ in one sitting,” O’Leary said. “It’s harder to make, it’s more expensive [than weed], but it gets you higher.”The process for smoking a dab involves new utensils, or dabbing gear, such as an oil rig, a titanium glass or ceramic nail, and specially designed blowtorches. After the nail is heated with the blowtorch, the wax concentrate is dabbed onto the nail, and the vapor is inhaled through the rig, according to O’Leary.However, the vape pen industry, also offers models that allow users to “vape” wax concentrate. Known as G-pens, vape pens used for smoking marijuana are similar to e-cigarettes, but are made to vaporize the active molecules in concentrated marijuana oils. Vape pens are legal to sell and use and cost on average $30 to $100. According to Assistant Principal Kraig Kelican, students caught with vape pens are disciplined for possession of cigarettes, but the pens can be tested for THC. Torelli tested two pens for THC this year, but the results were negative.O’Leary recognizes there may be risks with dabbing because its relatively new; although there’s no evidence that one can overdose on marijuana, little is known about the side effects of consuming such concentrated doses. In addition, if not extracted properly, concerns have been raised about toxic residue in the dabs from the solvents, usually butane, used to extract the THC.“We don’t know the side effects of the concentrates because it’s new,” O’Leary said. “They don’t know the harmful effects it can have on people; it can be really dangerous. Some people just cannot handle that much THC entering the body at one time.”Senior user Bill Burroughs, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, experienced the effects of taking a dab that provided too much THC intake for his body.“I’ve taken, like, 10 dabs. One time, it was just too big of a dab at one time. If I took the same amount in smaller dabs I would’ve been fine,” Burroughs said. “I just started throwing up everywhere. I’ve taken dabs after that though, and I’ve been fine.”Hofmann had a similar experience with a friend, who became confused.“One of my friends was almost frozen, not talking, not responding and just incoherent. I started tapping him, and I was, like, ‘Dude, are you OK?’ and he starts blinking like, ‘Yeah, that was really weird, man. Is it normal to feel like this?’” Hoffman said. “It was in a big social situation, and they were so paranoid of talking to people. They were just scared of how they were looking and just all of this anxiety.”Rather than buying it, some wax users or sellers make it at home. The most popular method to extract hash oil from marijuana is through the butane extraction process.According to O’Leary, marijuana is put into an extraction tube that is pressurized with butane to extract all of the cannabinoids and THC chemicals and leave behind all of the plant matter. The concentrate is placed on a Pyrex pan, which can be heated to extract all of the butane, and then can be further extracted using a vacuum pump. If all of the butane isn’t extracted, users run the risk of inhaling it.According to an article by NPR, there have also been reports of exploding refrigerators when people put their “marijuana-butane marinade” in the freezer, and the fumes are ignited by sparks from the compressor or fan.“It’s very dangerous to make, because you have butane under pressure, you have a glass container, it can explode,” O’Leary said. “When the butane is hitting the glass pan, you have heat underneath, and it can set it on fire sometimes. If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it.”According to an article in the New York Times, hash oil extraction caused 32 explosions in Colorado in 2014, resulting in home fires and injuring dozens of people, including 17 who suffered severe burns. States that have legalized marijuana are now grappling with regulating the production of hash oil.“Personally, I want weed to be decriminalized, but I want the extraction process to be illegal. You can still get high from weed; you can still get to the point where you can’t function. Wax does that instantly for you. Nobody really needs that,” Hofmann said. “I’ve known people that have done hallucinogens and then they took a dab and they were like, ‘Holy ****, I was gone on that.’ When I did it personally, one moment I was at [someone’s] house, and the next I was in a Food Lion parking lot. It’s a scary thing; people drive when they’re high. Imagine them driving on wax.”According to O’Leary, what teens are seeking is the ultimate, quickest high, something that a small dab offers.“People are used to ingesting multiple grams at a time to get to the high when you take a dab,” O’Leary said. “I think that’s why it’s a phenomenon, because it gets you so high, so quickly.” > Click here to read The Falconer editorial about the story’s censorship.

Superintendent Letter on Dabs by Fauquier Now

The Falconer’s appeal to Superintendent David Jeck

Falconer Letter to Jeck by Fauquier Now

Principal Clarence Burton’s letter to The Falconer:

Principal Letter on Dabs by Fauquier Now