Oklahoma authorities filed murder charges Monday against a man believed to be the operator of a Tulsa-area marijuana extraction laboratory where two employees died in an explosion last week, court records show.
And though Solos Extracts at one time held a state medical marijuana license, the business, most recently run by Ryan Bassham, 35, was not authorized to extract cannabinoids when it exploded at 1 a.m. Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The blast damaged dozens of nearby businesses and killed Michael Newman and Stephen Scott, both of whom worked for Bassham, according to the AP.
Are butane hash oil lab explosions common in legal cannabis?
Explosions at facilities where volatile organic compounds such as butane are used to extract THC and terpenes from cannabis flower are a threat known to law enforcement as well as first responders.
However, hash-oil lab explosions have in the past been generally associated with illicit cannabis activity and not licensed businesses.
According to Tulsa-based KJHR-2, Bassham’s Solos Extracts was at one time licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
However, when fire inspectors visited the site in January for a compliance inspection, “the business was seeking an updated certificate of compliance” for its OMMA and OBN licenses, according to an affidavit.
That meant that as of Thursday’s explosion, Solos Extracts was not permitted to operate, according to Sand Springs fire officials.
Was the Oklahoma cannabis lab that exploded licensed?
Officials had told the business to disconnect the extraction equipment until it could be reinspected, as per the affidavit.
According to the AP, Newman survived the blast but died later at a hospital. He told paramedics that the business had poor ventilation and that the explosion occurred after he removed a plug from an electrical socket.
Bassham is believed to have purchased the business earlier in the year, according to the AP.
The area where the warehouse was located hosts at least one other medical cannabis extraction business.
According to the affidavit obtained by KJHR-2, another business owner who shared a wall with Solos Extracts reported detecting “extremely high” CO2 levels.
CO2 is understood to present less of a direct fire risk than other methods of extraction.
Is Oklahoma cracking down on medical marijuana?
Oklahoma authorities and the state’s licensed medical cannabis businesses have had a rocky relationship over the past few years.
In 2024, several cannabis grows sued state authorities alleging, in part, that fire officials were months late responding to requested inspections.
Authorities revoked dozens of other permits earlier this year in what cannabis operators called a statewide crackdown on Oklahoma’s $600 million annual MMJ industry.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kevin Stitt called for medical marijuana to be recriminalized in the state.
