What is Cannabis Hash?
If you’re new to weed, the different terms people call cannabis can get pretty confusing. Some think that they’re all different from one another, while others think that they’re one and the same.
Understanding Cannabis, Marijuana, Hash, and Hashish
Cannabis is a type of plant that, when consumed, produces psychoactive effects. It is also popular for its medicinal and therapeutic properties.
- What is cannabis?
Cannabis is called many terms. It is also commonly called weed and marijuana. Some people also call it pot, grass, Mary Jane, and reefer. Other terms used to describe cannabis are hash, herb, dope, joint, and ganja.
Most people are familiar with cannabis’ two major types – Indica and Sativa. However, there is a third, lesser known, type of cannabis called Ruderalis. Unlike Indica and Sativa, Ruderalis has a very low THC content, so it doesn’t produce a high.
Crossbreeding the different types of cannabis has led to the creation of the Hybrid strains, the effects of which lean toward its dominant parent strain.
- Marijuana
Marijuana, as mentioned earlier, is another term used to call cannabis. The history of this term is deep and a bit controversial. In fact, you could say the term marijuana is steeped in racism and politics.
Marijuana, as a term, was not common in American culture. When Mexicans began arriving in the United States, they brought with them the culture of smoking cannabis, a plant they call marijuana. Before the arrival of Mexicans though, cannabis was used only for industrial and medicinal purposes, so the habit of smoking it was new to the Americans.
But because of anti-immigrant fears and racism, they used cannabis (which they’re now calling marijuana) and its psychoactive effects in their propaganda to marginalize the newcomers. They claim that “marijuana” is the root of all evil. Their anti-marijuana propaganda ultimately led to the prohibition of cannabis.
- Hashish
It is easy to confuse cannabis, hash, and hashish and think that they are all the same. But they are actually not.
Cannabis is the raw material. It is the plant itself.
Hash, on the other hand, is the resin that comes from the buds or flowers produced by a female cannabis plant. It is the sticky, frosty white, small crystals that cover the buds. These crystals are extracted through chemical as well as mechanical methods.
Hashish is also another term for hash. In fact, hash is the shorter name for hashish. Hash is also sometimes called kief.
When it comes to potency, hash or hashish is more potent than cannabis.
- Hash Oil
Hash oil is simply the oil extracted from cannabis. It is a thick, viscous, and oily liquid with colors ranging from light gold to deep brown. Some hash oils though are almost black in color.
Compared to smoking cannabis, hash oil is more potent. In fact, some cannabis users and connoisseurs dab a little bit of hash oil over the tip of their joints or blunts. This makes their joints more potent. Some even use hash oil in their vape pens for stronger effects.
Hash oil is not just for recreational purposes though. It can also be used as a medicine.
- The Difference between Hashish and Marijuana
If you’re still wondering what is cannabis and how it differs from hash, hashish, or kief, then here are some things that you need to remember.
Cannabis, marijuana, weed, pot, ganja, and grass are just different terms for cannabis. This is the plant itself, the raw material. You grind the buds and smoke it. You also decarboxylate it to extract its cannabinoids.
Now, hash, hashish, and kief are just the different terms for the resin glands that cover the cannabis buds. These frosty white crystals are rich in THC. These resin glands are also harvested and dried or turned into hash oil.
Types of Cannabis Hash Extraction and How to Consume Hash
If you want to learn more about what is cannabis hash, know that it has different types. They differ in their methods of extraction.
- Traditional Hash
How to make cannabis hash is relatively easy. You can even make your own traditional hash at home. Of note, traditional hash is hash extracted using the old-fashioned way, your hands or by using multiple sieves. It doesn’t make use of any chemical or mechanical process of extraction.
Using clean gloves, gently rub the buds between your palms, but do take care that you don’t crush them though. As you continue rolling the buds between your palms, you will see a dark film begin covering the gloves. Now, gently scrape them off with the blunt edge of the knife and press together to form the hash.
- Bubble Hash
Bubble hash is simply extracting the resins using ice water. In fact, this method is also called ice water cannabis hash.
To do this, you will need about four to five progressively smaller micron bags. Arrange the bags from the smallest to the largest inside a clean bucket. So place the smallest bag inside the bucket first, followed by a bigger size, with the biggest on top.
Now, place your buds inside the bag and then add some ice and purified water. Gently stir the mixture together for about 30 minutes. Once done, let it settle for another 30 minutes before removing the bags. Each bag will collect hash, but the last and smallest bag collects the purest form of hash. Scrape the hash off and let it drain on a cheesecloth. Gently press to form a cube.
- Butane Hash Oil (BHO)
This method makes use of butane to extract the resin. Of note, if you’re a beginner to cannabis, do not attempt to do this at home since butane is highly flammable and there is the risk of explosion. Leave this process to the experts who know what they’re doing the safe and right way.
Cannabis is first placed inside a tube and then soaked thoroughly in butane. Butane acts as the medium that separates the essential oils found in cannabis. The mixture is then heated inside a vacuum. The heat will evaporate the solvent, leaving behind an oily cannabis liquid.
- Solvent Hash
Another popular method of extracting hash is by using alcohol as its solvent. The process is similar to butane hash cannabis oil, but instead of using butane, it makes use of alcohol in the extraction process. The most popular type of alcohol used is Everclear. Some people though use isopropyl alcohol.
Similar to butane hash oil, this method of extraction isn’t for beginners since alcohol is also highly flammable. There is always the risk of an explosion.
While extracting hash using solvents is effective, there are other and safer ways of extracting hash at home like hand rolling and ice water.
How to Consume Hash
There are a lot of ways that you can consume hash. You can add them to your brownies to make cannabis edibles. You can even sprinkle a few on top of your favorite dishes.
You can spread a little hash on your blunts, joints, and spliffs. This increases the effects of smoking cannabis.
Other methods of consuming hash include vaping and dabbing. For vaping though, the oil should be thinner in consistency and not viscous. Dabbing, on the other hand, makes use of a hot metal object where the hash is heated. The vapor is then inhaled.
Of note, hash is not for beginners since they are pretty potent.
Effects of Hash Cannabis Use
Hash vs weed, are their effects the same?
They actually produce the same effects. Weed has THC, but hash has more of this cannabinoid since the resin contains most of the flower or bud’s THC.
- Short Term Effects
Similar to smoking weed, using hash also affects your short term memory. You may feel like you’re in touch with things, but if someone asks you about a recent event that happened at that time, you will have a harder time recalling it. You will also have a harder time creating new memories when you’re under the influence of hash.
Other short term effects include distorted perception and impaired judgment and problem solving ability. You will also notice some incoordination.
Because hash is psychoactive, you can also suffer from panic and anxiety attacks as well as paranoia.
These short term effects are temporary, but prolonged and heavy use can result in long term effects.
- Long Term Effects
Several studies have shown that smoking hash or smoking cannabis, for that matter, can result in lung problems. These lung problems are similar to those suffered by chronic cigarette smokers such as a smoker’s cough and increased phlegm production. Chronic and heavy use of hash can also increase your risk of developing bronchitis and lung cancer. It can also make you more susceptible to common coughs and colds.
Use of hash during the adolescent years can result in learning and social behavior problems. It can also lower your IQ by about 8 points.
Hash use also increases your risk of developing dependence and addiction.
- Hash Overdose Effects
Some people say cannabis can’t cause an overdose. Others say it can. But here’s something fascinating about cannabis.
Opioid causes an overdose, resulting in slowed breathing, heart rate, and pulse rate. Left untreated, it can cause death.
Now, there are little to no receptors for cannabis in the brain center controlling breathing, heart rate, and pulse rate. So even at very high dose, cannabis has no way to significantly change them.
But at a high dose though, cannabis can induce severe paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, and delusions. It can speed up the heart rate, so those with heart problems should not consume cannabis since the strain on the heart increases heart attack risk.
Addiction from Hash
The use of cannabis hash plant increases dependence and addiction risks. This is because THC, the main psychoactive compound of cannabis, stimulates the endocannabinoid systems found in the pleasure and reward brain centers. Its stimulation of the endocannabinoid systems activates this brain center, making consuming cannabis a pleasurable activity. This is also one reason why chronic and heavy users crave cannabis.
In addition to this, the relaxing, uplifting, stress busting, and pain reducing effects of cannabis can easily make one dependent on its use.
If you think you’re suffering from the effects of too much cannabis or you think you might be addicted to weed, then seek medical help immediately.
Hash for Medical Purposes
There are many ways that you can use hash for medical purposes. In fact, it can relieve several symptoms caused by chronic medical problems. Hash has the ability to reduce pain as well as control inflammation. It can be used to reduce depression, anxiety attacks, migraine headaches, joint pains, and muscle aches.
To use hash for medical purposes, you can simply place a very small amount under your tongue and let it absorb for about two minutes. You can even apply a little hash oil on your skin problems like acne and psoriasis since THC is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
Final Thoughts
Differentiating between cannabis and hash isn’t difficult. Cannabis is the plant itself, while hash is the resin glands that you collect from the buds. Similar to smoking cannabis, using hash also has its positive and negative effects.
If you want to buy cannabis to make your own hash, please remember the tips mentioned above to avoid problems.
