Cannabis producer charged in explosion

Isabella Alves, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Feb. 26—SANTA FE, N.M. — The executive director and owner of New MexiCann Natural Medicine is now facing criminal charges for the October explosion that critically injured two employees.

Carlos Gonzales, 56, of Santa Fe, was charged with two counts of felony negligent arson filed in Santa Fe Magistrate Court on Friday.

The event last October was the second time an explosion occurred at the dispensary on San Mateo Lane in Santa Fe. Two people were also badly burned in an explosion there in 2015, leading to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue fines totalling $13,500 against the business.

New MexiCann's license to manufacture cannabis-derived products was suspended, though its dispensaries in Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Taos have remained open.

Gonzales is accused of altering the hot plate system used to extract THC from marijuana at the dispensary. The two employees critically burned told investigators that neither of them received extraction training and both recalled Gonzales tampering with the extraction equipment before and after inspections.

Josh Alderete, who had burns covering 37% of his body from the explosion, told investigators that Gonzales switched out the hot plates to an "open loop" system — which isn't approved by the New Mexico Department of Health.

"Did we not learn from the last explosion? We cannot be skipping steps, this causes accidents," Alderete recalled telling Gonzales.

Both Alderete and fellow employee burn victim Josh Martinez recalled Gonzales saying, "if it weighs it pays."

Martinez said the system was switched by Gonzales to "push out more product."

In a "closed loop" extraction system, the only system approved by the Department of Health, there is no manual collection of ethanol alcohol. The alcohol is used in the extraction process to remove THC from marijuana.

Alderete and Martinez said the explosion occurred when they were pouring the ethanol alcohol onto the hot plate, which was set at 500 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than what the Department of Health allows.

The alcohol hit the hot plate, immediately igniting and catching Alderete and Martinez on fire. With a "closed loop" system this wouldn't have occurred because the ethanol alcohol wouldn't have been handled in this way, court documents say.