A new form of marijuana, called Ear Wax or simply Wax is sweeping across the country. It also goes by the names Butter or Honeycomb, its name coming from its appearance resembling those substances. It is usually yellow/brown in color and has a smooth, wax like texture.
Its appearance can also resemble lip balm, which makes it easy for youth to conceal and hard to detect. While Wax can be smoked like leaf marijuana in a pipe or bong, it can also be used in an electronic cigarette vaporizer that is commercially available. The process of ingesting Wax is called “dabbing” or taking a hit of “dab.”
Originally manufactured on the West Coast, Wax is much more powerful than leaf marijuana. According to the article, “Teens and Wax: A Potent Form of Marijuana” by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann published in Psychology Today, Wax can contain up to 80% THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana). Leaf marijuana, which is already much more potent than the marijuana grown in the 1970’s, contains about 20% THC.
Wax is also more expensive than leaf marijuana. An investigation done by ANIMAL published in May, GrowLife Inc. CEO Kyle Tracey said that marijuana in Southern California typically cost between $15 and $20 per gram, compared to a range between $70 and $100 for Wax.
While it is easy to learn how to make Wax, the process can be very dangerous because of the need to use butane to create the substance. In Steamboat Springs, CO, four teens aged 15 – 18 were sent to the hospital after an explosion blew out the windows of their condo and triggered the sprinkler system. Similar explosions have been reported around the country. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle compared the rise of wax explosions to the outbreak of methamphetamine lab explosions in the US years ago.
According to the article “Everything You Need to Know about Marijuana Wax” by Julian Kimble as published on the Complex website, Wax in extremely hallucinogenic with reports of users experiencing intense psychotic episodes. Emergency room admissions as a result of Wax use are on the rise.
“We are worried about Wax becoming the new marijuana,” said George Greger-Holt, Community Outreach Coordinator for Chatham Drug Free. “It’s easy to hide, easy although dangerous to make, and much more powerful than usual weed,” he continued.
“Parents need to be aware of this new substance so that they can be ready to talk to their children about the dangers,” added Susan Powell, coalition coordinator. “Seeing things like butane canisters, glass or metal tubes, rubbing alcohol or coffee filters or electronic cigarette vaporizers in your child’s room or in his/her possession should initiate a conversation,” she suggested.
More information can be found at the Chatham Drug Free website, www.chathamdrugfree.org, the Chatham Drug Free Facebook page or at http://www.drugfree.org/the-parent-toolkit.