Is Hash Weed?

Hash, or hashish, is the result of an extraction process that regular marijuana undergoes in order to separate the cannabinoid compounds from the excess plant matter. As such, hash is still considered a form of weed, and one that is typically more concentrated.

Hashish is made by collecting the potent trichomes from the marijuana plant. Trichomes are the small hair-like glands present on the surface of the weed plant from which a resin is produced. They are white and red in colour, and some are almost microscopic, while others are easily visible to the naked eye.

Cannabinoids and terpenes are present in these trichomes. Cannabinoids, like delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) among many others, are where the psychological and therapeutic effects of weed are derived.

Separating the trichomes from the rest of the marijuana plant is a fairly simple process and can be done in a few different ways, but notably this does not in itself produce hashish. Pressure and/or heat must be applied to the kief – the resulting substance after separation – in order for it to become hash.

In terms of separation methods, finger hash is probably the oldest and simplest way to produce kief. Handling a large amount of weed plants will result in the resin (and trichomes) sticking to hands. The resin is then heated and pressurized when you rub your hands together to remove and collect the substance. This is the most basic form of hash, and considered fairly low quality.

The separation can also occur by sifting weed through a series of screens, or by mechanically separating the trichomes in a drum. Water separation, using water and ice, either in a blender or in a combination of screens, is another way to separate kief from weed.

Once the kief is extracted, pressing it into a brick form and then heating it at low heat is the usual way of producing hash.

By separating the trichomes from the rest of the plant and grouping them together in the ways mentioned, the potency of the substance is increased dramatically.

Different methods of production mean hash will vary in density and colour. The softer, stickier form of hash is either black or golden in colour, while the harder form can vary from black to brown and even to shades of red and green.

Hash, like marijuana, is usually ingested by smoking, typically in a joint, pipe or vaporizer. It can also be orally ingested. When burned, hash has a gummy, oily texture and is best smoked together with tobacco, or other cannabis.

The answer, in short, is yes; hash is made from weed, but the process collects the “good parts” into a different, more concentrated form, by eliminating the majority of plant matter from the equation.