What is Hash? Definition, Usage, Effects, & Weed Comparison

Hash or hashish is the OG of all cannabis concentrates. Humans have been making and consuming hashish back in Egypt nearly a millennium ago. If you’re harvesting cannabis plants and mold the residual coats of resins from your hands, you’ll be left with brownish balls of highly potent hashish.  

This blog will help you become an expert on hash fast by defining its notable characteristics, consumption methods, types, effects, and how it differs from regular weed. 

What is Hashish? Definition & Types of Consumption

📕 Britannica’s Definition of Hashish: Hashish is a hallucinogenic preparation derived from the resin secreted by the flower of the female cannabis plant. Far more potent than standard weed, hashish can be smoked or eaten for recreational and other beneficial purposes. The Middle East, Latin America, and some Asian countries are the largest suppliers of hashish in the world.

According to Martin Booth, the earliest mention of hashish was found in a pamphlet from Egypt around 1123, with random mentions from Morocco, the Persian Empire, Europe, and India. 

Famously, India is known for its mass cannabis production of hash (or charas in their language). Charas, at that time, were eaten or burned as incense. It wasn’t until the 1600s that hash was smoked using a pipe or water pipe.

Hashish quickly became popular in several European cultures in the 18th century, and interest in its medicinal benefits raged in the US as the year drew closer to the 19th century. 

Today, hashish has become popular in North America, where the main method of production is ice-water extraction. Places in the US, such as Seattle and Washington, allow adult residents to consume high-quality hash of several types, including the OG temple balls version. 

The term hashish is also known by the following names:

• Bhong
• Ganja
• Hashie
• Ghashish
• Chara
• Gangster
• Boom
• Kief

What Are Hashish Types & How Are They Made?

Depending on the type of process used, hash is made in several ways, resulting in various types and consumption options. Versions of hashish are grouped according to how they’re made. These categories are modern solventless, modern solvent-based, and traditional. 

Modern Solventless Hash

In solventless extraction, hash is made manually without solvents. Once resin-containing trichomes are isolated, they’re subjected to filtration, heat, and pressure to form the following hash types. 

Dry Sift Hash

Dry sift hash is the closest thing to the traditional types of hash made in the Middle East. It is produced by lightly rubbing cannabis buds over a sieve, filtering even further until most of the products left are almost pure trichomes or dry sift hash. 

Dry sift hash pressed on a rosin press will give you a hash meant for dabbing, but if it’s decarbed, it will be made into edibles or topicals. 

Bubble Hash

Bubble hash, also known as water hash, ice hash, or ice-o-later, is produced using the ice water extraction method. Frozen buds are gently agitated to allow trichomes to separate naturally from the plant material.

The bubble hash look and texture can range from dry to greasy. It’s one of the most versatile cannabis products out there because you can dab it, put it in a vape pen, smoke it in a bowl or hash joint, or blend it with other cannabis products. 

📖 Good Read Are you of age to vape in the US? There is a minimum vaping age in the US. Find out if you can legally purchase and use one.

Temple Ball

Temple balls started as bubble hash. To achieve a temple ball consistency, bubble hash is pressed and heated, making it stickier and more malleable. Some people like temple balls because they are soft and easily rolled into joints. 

Piatella

The Piatella is a newly formed hash product cold cured from fresh frozen cannabis flowers. Under the full melt bubble hash method, Piatella becomes so soft you can slice it like a loaf of bread. It effortlessly melts away when vaporized and leaves almost no residue. 

Rosin

Rosin is a filtered resin extracted by pressing hash into two heated plates until it melts into a sticky resin. It’s famously consumed for dabbing and/or infused into edibles and topicals. 

Modern Solvent-Based Hash

The modern solvent-based hash method uses solvents to make hash. Currently, the most popular solvents are alcohol, butane, and Supercritical CO₂. When these solvents come in contact with the cannabis flower, they separate trichomes from its plant material. This process also comes in handy when a manufacturer isolates certain cannabinoids or terpenes. 

Due to the high toxicity of solvents, they’re purged at the final stage of the process, leaving you with a super waxy and thick concentrate consistency. These are some of the concentrate hash made using the solvent-based method:

• Honey oil
• Budder
• Badder
• Wax
• Shatter
• Crumble
• Pull-and-snap

These products are great for dabbing. They are sometimes infused in joints, edibles, and vaping products. 

📖 Good Read Take your pick between Shatter, Budder, And Crumble in this comparison guide.

Traditional Hash

Traditional types of hash are the end result of the unique manual way of making hash in countries within Central Asia and the Middle East. For sanitary and legal reasons, traditional hash is hard to come by in the US, and you may need to travel to the country in question to try it personally. That said, here are the traditional hash from different countries. 

Hash vs Weed

Hashish and weed come from the same plant. The big difference lies in their appearance and potency. While the term weed often refers to dried pieces of cannabis bud, hash is a paste rolled from the resin or sap of the cannabis bud. Judging from their origin, hash is naturally more potent than weed. 

Here’s a quick overview of hash and weed differences:

Comparison Factor	Hashish	Weed
Form	Semi-solid paste	Dried and cured pieces of cannabis buds
Potency or Strength	Superior concentration of cannabinoids	Depends widely on the manufacturer
Legality	Federally legal for hemp-derived products and a Schedule I product for those marijuana-derived	Federally legal for hemp-derived products and a Schedule I product for those marijuana-derived
Consumption	Smoking, vaporizing, and oral ingestion	Smoking, vaporizing, for topical use, and oral ingestion
Active ingredients	Tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids depending on the manufacturer	Tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids depending on the manufacturer
Availability	Less popular than weed	The more popular option
Benefits	Recreational, spiritual, and wellness purposes	Recreational, spiritual, and wellness purposes
Side effects	Impact on lungs and short-term memory	Impact on lungs and short-term memory

What Are the Effects and Benefits of Hashish?

There are varying opinions when it comes to the immediate effects of hashish since cannabis, in general, affects individuals differently. Although the “high” is there and other classic weed effects like increased appetite, hashish feels different from a regular flower product. 

Most of the anecdotal reports seen in forums liken the high of hashish to that of cognac and regular weed to that of beer. You don’t need much hashish to get high or sustain the effects. With weed, you have to keep smoke from time to time to increase or make the effects consistent. 

Not all hashish, however, has the same superiority when it comes to strength and potency. Those with so much plant matter tend to be weaker than those with high levels of resin. Other users note as well that the hashish high tends to be pleasant because of the presence of high CBD on it. 

Is Hashish Legal at the State and Federal Level?

The legality of hashish boils down to the federal and state-based legal status of marijuana in the country. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level and is strictly regulated in the US. 

However, most states and territories have now adopted a more comprehensive law that allows the cultivation, distribution, sale, use, and possession of marijuana (in this case, hashish and its varieties like hashish oils and disposables).

So, if you’re someone residing in a particular state that allows the medical and recreational use of marijuana products like hashish, you can probably buy some in a licensed dispensary. 

Purchasing hashish comes with limitations, of course. For example, in most states, you need to be at least 21 years old to buy hashish, and you can’t just buy medical marijuana without a medical marijuana card or a doctor’s prescription. 

Also, you might want to abstain from using hashish for a while with an upcoming drug test. It doesn’t matter how much you consume or how little the THC percentage is. You don’t want to risk testing positive and possibly changing the course of your life for the worse. 

Another legality factor of hashish is the percentage of Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC for short) present in the product and its plant of origin. At the federal level, any marijuana-derived product containing more than 0.3% THC is considered a Schedule I substance. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that is the cause of the psychoactive effects felt in consuming the plant. 

Since hashish, most of the time, sports 15% or more THC concentration, it should be illegal, right? Yes. However, how come you can still see brands offering hashish on the internet? 

Cannabis and hemp brands in the US get away with selling hashish because they can manipulate the cannabinoid content of their products. As long as they’re offering hemp-derived hashish that does not go beyond the 0.3% THC limit, they’re not challenging the 2018 Farm Bill now passed as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. 

What Are the Safety Concerns and Risks of Hashish?

Like any use of mind-altering substances, hashish consumption is not without risks. If you’re a beginner who has consumed more than you can handle, it’s natural to experience distortions to your sense of sight, hearing, touch, altered perception of time, and increased heart rate.

The long term effects of hashish are still unknown, but the persisting use of marijuana have been studied to be connected to the following:

• Psychological effects
• Changes in resting heart rate and blood pressure
• Respiratory issues
• Brain development disruption of children and teenage users

The use of hash, however, shouldn’t be entirely frightening or intimidating. It’s the 21st century of modern-day thinking. People are now aware of the benefits of cannabis more than ever. With controlled usage and education, hashish should be an enjoyable experience. 

Here are some consumption practices to keep in mind around hashish:

• Avoid hash altogether if you’re pregnant, a minor, or someone with mental health or cardiovascular issues. 
• Buy hashish legally. No matter how tempting the lower prices of illicit markets are, buying through licensed dispensaries and legitimate brands offers advantages and unparalleled protection.
• Pay attention to potency. Start with the smallest dose of hashish possible and observe its effects on you before dabbing another batch. 
• Don’t drive, operate any heavy machinery, or go to work with hashish compounds still in your system. 

The Wrap

Hashish or hash is a semi-solid pasty bar of concentrated cannabis compounds with a wealth of medical, spiritual, and recreational history dating back to 1123. Popularly dabbed in modern times, hash can now be added to joints, infused in edibles, or vaporized. 

Stronger than weed, a small amount of hashish is usually enough for one session. Arguably, smoking dried, cured weed is still the dominating cannabis culture, but it’s good to have options like hashish for a more customized experience. 

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