Death in a cannabis laboratory: Italian prosecutors investigate explosion

Prosecutors in Perugia, Italy, are now trying to decide how to charge both owners and managers in a horrific workplace accident that killed two and seriously injured two others. The incident happened when a “laboratory” set up to create “Cannabis Lite” from high-THC cannabis exploded.

Odd peculiarities aside, this type of incident is certainly an anomaly in Europe – and not just because of the existence of cannabinoids in the process, but also because of what the manufacturers were trying to do with it. Not to mention how.

If this case sounds like Colorado, circa 2014, you’re right. In the first summer of state legalization, the Denver Department of Environmental Health ordered a recall of a manufacturer who had made hash in its washing machine to sell it commercially and “legally.” Luckily, no one died and the owners showed ignorance that their actions violated public health guidelines.

Aside from this incident, however, the threat of BHO extraction is an increasing threat in US states where recreational cannabis is now legal. Inexperienced operators use butane to make hash oil – and horrific accidents and explosions are becoming more frequent.

This case in Italy appears to be a macabre copycat spinoff. What makes this even stranger is the supposed intention of the “manufacturer”.

Criminal liability and intent in Italy

In this case, prosecutors are trying to determine how to indict both the managers and the owners of the company. It appears they are at the very least being charged with gross negligence for failing to warn and educate staff about the dangers of what they are doing.

You could end up being charged with either manslaughter or murder.

Here’s why. Ultrasonic “washers” were set up to bathe cannabis in pentane to lower the THC levels in it, allowing the company to sell the products as “Cannabis Lite.” Furthermore, as described by the prosecutor, the method was both “invented” by one of the business partners and “used without any technical and scientific knowledge and without permission”.

Ultrasonic washing machines are commercially available even online. They are most often used in combination with water or a non-flammable solvent to clean items such as jewelry, medical instruments, watches and electronics. They can also be used to clean clothes by removing impurities and killing bacteria.

This is hardly a process that should be used for cannabis intended for human consumption.

In addition, their tanks should never be filled with flammable liquids, as they will vaporize and cause explosions or fire, or at least release dangerous gases into the work area.

Pentane, the solvent used in this case, is a chemical commonly used in the manufacture of polystyrene foam. It is also highly flammable.

For this reason, according to the public prosecutor’s office, the processing was objectively dangerous beyond the danger emanating from the “innovation”.

In addition, the pentane was not stored properly, nor were machines installed in the laboratory that could have mitigated the risks associated with the use of the solvent for processing.

The many strange circumstances

There are several bizarre aspects to this story – starting with this: who would take high-THC cannabis and subject it to a chemical solvent and a “cleaning” machine that was clearly not designed for plants to be ingested by humans? Besides, who would do the high-THC cannabis when hemp is plentiful in the country?

Those facts aside, it’s clear that this wasn’t an “invention” but rather an accident waiting to happen.

This tragic incident in Italy is also a warning shot in the bow for others who may be tempted to engage in similar acts of so-called innovation in the future. However, with the advent of multi-tiered recreational reform, it is almost certain that there will be more until the entire cannabis flower supply chain and manufacturing processes used to create extracts are fully legitimized and properly monitored.