Butane Hash Oil (BHO)
Definition: Butane hash oil (BHO) is a cannabis concentrate made by using liquid butane to dissolve cannabinoids and terpenes out of the plant, then purging the butane away. It’s the base for popular concentrates like shatter, wax, budder, and crumble. Solvent-based concentrates like BHO average roughly 54% to 69% THC, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
How Is BHO Made?
Liquid butane is passed through cannabis to strip the resin from its trichomes. The resulting oil is then heated under vacuum to purge the remaining butane. Licensed producers use sealed closed-loop extractors in rated facilities and test the finished product for residual solvents. Homemade BHO, especially “open blasting” with an extraction tube, has caused explosions, fires, and severe burns.
What Are the Types of BHO?
The same oil can end up in very different textures depending on how it’s handled after extraction:
- Shatter: left undisturbed to set into a clear, glassy sheet
- Wax, budder, and crumble: whipped or agitated so it turns opaque and soft
- Sauce and diamonds: allowed to separate into terpene-rich liquid and crystalline THCA
- Live resin: made from fresh-frozen plants instead of dried flower
How Do People Use BHO?
BHO is usually dabbed on a dab rig or vaporized in a wax pen or nectar collector. Because it’s several times stronger than flower, a rice-grain-sized amount is a typical starting dose.
Is BHO Safe?
Lab-tested BHO from licensed retailers is held to residual-solvent limits. The bigger issue is potency: NIDA notes that high-THC concentrates raise the risk of anxiety, paranoia, dependence, and, in vulnerable people, psychosis. Untested products may contain leftover butane or pesticides.
Related terms: Concentrates, Shatter, Solventless Extract, Extraction Tube
Sources: NIDA: Cannabis Concentrates DrugFacts; Al-Zouabi I et al., “Butane hash oil and dabbing: insights into use, amateur production techniques, and potential harm mitigation,” Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 2018.
