Colorado Home Grow Ops Heating Up in a Major Way

 Colorado has pioneered the legalization of
recreational cannabis. The industry is booming bringing a large windfall of tax
revenue into the state. However, being pioneers of the industry does have some
drawbacks. While our recreational and medical industries are set up and
flourishing, many Colorado residents are running into trouble with home grows
and extraction labs.

The Colorado state laws allow individuals over the
age of 21 to grow up to six plants at home. Small home grows that are trying to
get their foot in the door are popping up everywhere. It’s not just the grow
business either, many individuals are trying to break into the extraction and
edible businesses as well. This type of entrepreneurship is what helped get the
industry on its feet. Now, with more people trying to grow and extract than
ever before, there is the need to ensure that these processes are being done
responsibly.

While growing cannabis might not seem that hard,
many of the local growers have dedicated years to learning how to cultivate
these plants. This includes not only learning how to grow healthy plants, but
also how to set up a safe grow room. Last week, a house fire in Thornton left
the house uninhabitable after extension cords in the basement grow room
overloaded and started the fire. No one has been charged in the case as the
grow operation was not considered illegal.

Grow room fires are a serious problem, but they
aren’t the biggest issue in the industry right now. Responses to fires caused
by hash oil explosions in Colorado have gone up, with dozens reported so far
this year. There have been more than three times the amount of hash oil
explosions this year in comparison to last year. In April, there were over five
explosions in one week alone. Charges have recently been filed from the hash
oil explosion back in April that sent three people to the hospital with second
degree burns.

The cannabis industry in Colorado might be thriving,
but that doesn’t mean that just anyone can start from nothing. For anyone who
is looking to work in the industry, remember there are many great companies
already set up that are hiring. If you are determined to start from the ground
up, make sure to at least find a mentor who can teach you how to responsibly
and safely set up your own legal grow or extraction lab. We don’t need more
people playing mad scientist trying to reinvent a wheel that Colorado has
already got rolling.