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Hashish

Hashish consists of the tetrahydrocannabinol-rich resinous bulbs known as trichomes as well as other minute plant material from the female flowers of the cannabis plant. It is separated from the plant via various sieving methods, cold-water extraction, or chemical extraction.

The resulting plant material is known as kif (aka keef). The kif is compressed into blocks which are easily stored and transported, without degrading the THC content due to oxidation. Pieces are then broken off, warmed up and sometimes mixed with tobacco or marijuana, and smoked in bongs, pipes, joints or hookahs. Since THC is fat-soluble, it is also possible to dissolve hashish in butter used for cooking. The Middle East and North Africa and in particular Morocco and Afghanistan are the main sources of hashish, although the science of hash extraction and the rapid dissemination of this knowledge means that more and more people are making hashish for personal use, using readily available materials or custom built devices such as Bubble Bags.

Black hash, which is generally produced in Nepal, Afghanistan, and India, generally produces a more relaxing, mellow effect. Blonde hash, often from Morocco and the Netherlands, tends to produce more active and cerebral highs. Green and red hues are also seen. The color of hash can sometimes be indicative of its relative quality; for instance a yellow tint indicates the presence of male pollen, something which is not desirable by smokers as it contains much less cannabinoids than the flowers and trichomes of the female plant. High quality hashish is derived from a batch of unpollinated female flowers, a process which requires the skills and means to at least separate the female from the male plants before they reach sexual maturity, or more efficiently, to make clones of a particularly potent female. This method rules out sowing seeds in a field in the traditional manner, it requires a controlled environment such as a green-house.

Hashish is widely available in Europe, as opposed to Marijuana which is more sparsely available on the whole. This is probably because hashish is much more compact, and thus much easier to smuggle than Marijuana. Blocks of 100, 125, 200 and 250 grams of hash are common. Some unscrupulous hashish dealers sometimes dissolve the hashish, mix with a foreign material without psychoactive or intoxicating properties, and re-press into a hashish block, which is sold as if it was the pure product. This is sometimes known as Soap, due to rumours of hashish being cut with soap. Other commonly suspected dilutants are camel dung and sand. Rumours of hashish being mixed or laced with potent and dangerous intoxicants such as opiates and pcp are quite common, but verified reports of this are unseen.

Pure, properly stored hashish of premium quality is soft and moldable by the heat of the fingers alone. Old, improperly stored hashish of poor quality is rock hard and brittle, and has to be heated substantially before it becomes soft enough for use. Most hashish falls in between these two extremes, and the tactile qualities also vary according to the methods used in extraction and pressing.

According to the 1911 Encyclopędia Britannica the word assassin derives from the Arabic word حشّاشين (haššāšīn), or Hashshashin, an Islamic sect of militants who supposedly were avid hash-eater s. Those that disagree say the effects the Hashshashin reported are not generally experienced by people who consume hash [1]. In The Book Of Breeething, William Burroughs speculates that severe winter conditions at their mountain fortress, Malamut, and extreme asceticism could have potentiated the experience. Intense cold and a lack of hearths, a sparse diet, and exhaustive labor in combination with the drug could have induced visions, he claims.

The THC content of hashish that reached the United States, where demand is limited, averaged 6 percent in the 1990s. The marijuana at the CannaTrade 2002 had THC levels ranging between 8 percent and 28 percent; the latter is comparable to some grades of hashish. Note that higher levels of THC do not necessarily imply higher levels of THC consumption, as users will frequently self-titrate (at least when smoking or using a vapouriser), consuming only the vapor until the desired effect is reached; admittedly, though, it is easier to overdo with more potent material. When it is practiced effectively, higher-THC material is healthier to consume, since fewer tars and particulates are inhaled to get the same high.


Last updated: 11-07-2004 20:29:19