What Exactly is Hash?
So for those who have no idea what hash is, it’s essentially a concentrated form of cannabis. It is usually consumed by smoking or vaporizing it, but it can also be ingested orally. It has a long history in many eastern countries such as India, Afghanistan, and others. It is also very popular in Europe being the most widely used form of cannabis, unlike the US where flower is most popular. Hash THC content typically ranges from 30% to 60% whereas Flower most often ranges from 15% to 30%. So if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, give hash a shot you may be pleasantly surprised.
Hash is derived from trichomes, which are resin glands packed with THC, terpenes, and other cannabinoids. While separating cannabinoids from these resinous glands is a practice that has been around for centuries, new methods of derivation have been popularised as cannabis legalization is on the rise nationwide. The word hashish’s origins dwell within the Arabic language, translating roughly to the word “grass”.
The popularization of the substance is believed to have occurred over a millennium ago. Although some people argue that variations of hash are even older still. Hash first began to make its way into the known western world roughly around the beginning of the 19th century. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century when cannabis extraction methods began to pick up steam, allowing hash products to become popular in western medicine. When the US government decided to outlaw all cannabis products, hash and other extracts left traditional western medicine and entered the black market.
The appearance, feel, and high from hash varies widely depending on the extraction method as well as how much leftover plant material is leftover. In India, one of the oldest forms of hash (or Charas) production is a simple process. They take live cannabis buds and rub them between their hands for hours until the trichomes stick and compact onto each other. It is then scraped off and formed into balls or sticks to make a very sticky, dark, hard yet malleable form of hash. In eastern countries, the traditional extraction method involves taking dried cannabis buds and trim and sieving them. Essentially pushing and rubbing them against various levels of mesh screens. This eventually separates the trichomes from the plant matter and creates kief. The kief is then pressed into blocks which creates a more dry and crumbly, yet potent product.
However, as interest in the product increased on a wide scale, and technology increased, various new methods of hash production began to spring up. Rosin (a form of hash) was created in the 70s, bubble hash in the 80s, BHO or butane hash oil in the 90s, you get the idea. There’s also wax, crumble, budder, the list goes on. As long as people want to get high we’ll keep coming up with new ways to do it. The world of hash is vast, so get out there and start exploring.
