Hashish

Hashish (from Arabic: حشيش ḥashīsh, lit. "grass", from hashsha "to become dry"; also Hash) is a preparation of cannabis composed of the compressed stalked resin glands called trichomes, collected from the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than other parts of the plant such as the buds or the leaves. Psychoactive effects are the same as those of other cannabis preparations such as marijuana. It is sometimes believed that the effects are different,[citation needed] but those differences usually stem from variations between regionally different Cannabis specimens, that are more traditionally processed into Hashish.

Hashish is often a solid or paste-like substance of varying hardness and pliability, and will soften under heat. Its color can vary from green, black, reddish brown, or most commonly light to dark brown.

It is consumed in much the same way as cannabis buds, used by itself in a miniature smoking pipe, hookah, bong or bubbler, vaporized, hot knifed, or smoked in joints mixed with tobacco, cannabis buds, or other herbs.

It can also be eaten alone (pure hash is described as having a tangy or salsa flavor depending on the type, there are different flavors with the different types of hash) as well as used as an ingredient in food (baked into cookies, brownies, or cakes, or added to stews and chocolate).
History

HashishIt is believed that hash first originated from Middle East, as this region was among the first to be populated by the cannabis plant, although the plant itself is thought to have originated in the Hindu Kush.[citation needed] More reliably, it may have originated in Northern India which also has a very long social tradition in the production of Hashish which is locally known as Charas. Cannabis sativa subsp. indica grows wild almost everywhere in the Indian sub-continent and special strains have been particularly cultivated for production of 'ganja' and 'hashish' particularly in Kerala, Rajasthan and the Himalayas.[citation needed] The earliest hashish was created without the use of sieves. The ancients would gently rub their palms and fingers on cannabis buds for hours while resin accumulated on their hands and then scrape that resin off. This sort of primitive harvesting is undertaken even today in the Cannabis growing farms of Manali, Naggar and Upper Himachal Pradesh.

Manufacturing processes
Stalked trichomes of the Cannabis plant.Hashish is made from cannabinoid-rich glandular hairs known as trichomes, as well as varying amounts of cannabis flower and leaf fragments. The flowers of a mature female plant contain the most trichomes, though trichomes are found on other parts of the plant. Certain strains of cannabis are cultivated specifically for their ability to produce large amounts of trichomes. The resin reservoirs of the trichomes, sometimes erroneously called pollen, are separated from the plant through various methods. The resulting powder is compressed into blocks of hashish aided by heat, which can be easily stored and transported. Alternatively, the powder consisting of uncompressed, dry trichomes is often referred to as kief instead of hashish.

Mechanical separation methods use physical action to remove the trichomes from the plant. Sieving through a fine screen is a vital part of most methods. The plants may be sifted by hand or in motorized tumblers. Hash made in this way is sometimes called dry sift. Finger hash is produced by rolling the ripe trichome-covered flowers of the plant between the fingers, rupturing the trichomes, and collecting the freed resin that sticks to the fingers. It is not possible to produce hashish by just walking through a field with a leather apron as a wrong drug urban legend suggests.

Ice water separation is a more modern mechanical separation method which submerges the plant in ice and water and stirs the mixture. Trichomes are broken off the plant as the ice moves and the low temperature makes the trichomes so brittle they break off easily. The waste plant matter, detached trichomes, and water are separated by filtering through a series of increasingly fine screens. Kits are commercially available which provide a series of filter screens meant to fit inside standard bucket sizes. Hash made in this way is sometimes called ice hash, or bubble hash.

Chemical separation methods generally use a solvent such as ethanol or hexane to dissolve the lipophilic desirable resin. The remaining plant material is then filtered out of the solution and sent to the compost.[2] The solvent is then evaporated, leaving behind the desirable resins, called honey oil, hash oil, or just oil. Honey oil still contains waxes and essential oils and can be further purified by vacuum distillation to yield red oil. The product of chemical separations is more commonly referred to as honey oil.

Quality
The main factors affecting quality are potency and purity. Different cannabis plants will produce resins with unique chemical profiles that vary in potency. Some forms of hashish are described as producing a "body stone" while others are more of a "head high". So far it has has not been possible to verify such differences scientifically by correlating effects with different chemical compositions.

Tiny pieces of leaf matter or even purposefully added adulterants introduced when the hash is being produced will reduce the purity of the material. The THC content of hashish usually ranges from 15–20%, and that of hash oil from 30–40%.[3]

Fresh hashish of good quality is soft and pliable and becomes progressively harder and less potent as its THC content oxidizes to cannabinol and as essential oils evaporate.

Hash is generally said to be black, brown or blond. There is also hashish of greenish or reddish hue. A green tinge may indicate that the hashish contains a large amount of leaf material. Hashish color usually reflects the color of the plant material at the time of sieving and reflects different strains and methods of harvesting and storage.

Adulterants
Adulterants are not commonly found in hashish. Hashish of low quality has usually been prepared from less pure trichome fractions that contain plant material and dust or from old material. Intentional adulteration has included sand or henna. The practice of smoking hashish mixed with tobacco may make it more difficult for users to detect by taste whether the cannabis is adulterated (and lead to nicotine addiction).

How To Pass A Drug Urine Test For Hashish.  Learn Detection Times and Cut Off Levels:

• How long the drugs will be detectable depends on which resource you consult.  We have provided a list of conservative Drug Detection Times provided by the manufactures of the drug tests.

• For the cutoff levels of commonly abused drugs and more about drug testing take a look at Drug Testing Cutoff Levels.