Iron City Grow Not So Innocent

Since the Iron City drug bust at the end of last December, we've heard many ask "What's the big deal? It might not be legal now, but in a few years it will. Who does it hurt?"

The grow operation itself was divided into two parts. One side of the business packaged pot in its natural form; encased in plastic bags, it was to be sold for simple smoking. The other half of the operation was not that benign. 

Someone who knew exactly what he was doing extracted highly potent THC to place in vape pens. Initial tests suggested this final product was as much as 80% to 85% THC. What's currently sold in states where marijuana is legalized is never more than 30%, according to authorities quoted in a recent Fox news story.

What the Iron City Three were producing was known as "Crude Oil." This strong product is legal no where, and many are claiming it's extremely dangerous. According to the Fox article:

Detectives said making the crude oil is dangerous. Marijuana leaves are washed with harmful chemicals like propane or butane, which extracts the high inducing THC. It’s then mixed with ethanol and distilled several times to make it more translucent, ready for vaping.

Now we know why the grow house had three huge propane tanks. What we don't know is how long the Tennessee legal proceedings will continue before there's any resolution to the case. 

Alisa Lynn Balentine, 36, is scheduled for her first court appearance next month. Mark DeArman, 45, will have his initial appearance before a judge in March. Have your popcorn ready.