Spliff Busters: What Happened to Hashish?

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In the newest video in the Spliff Busters series For thousands of years, hashish reigned supreme as one of the most desirable cannabis products out there. Now, in a time of exponential growth in the cannabis community, this old school way of getting high is falling to the wayside in terms of popularity — especially in America. But why has hashish, after such a long time as cannabis enthusiasts' top pick for getting baked, lost its dazzle? Let's explore the history of hashish and take a peek into what's causing its undeserved downward trend in popularity.

What is Hashish?

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Hashish is a potent cannabis byproduct that has been made and used by humans for thousands of years. The technology behind hashish is simple: just knock the resinous trichomes off of the plant matter! By removing the THC-heavy trichomes from cannabis buds and sugar leaves, you can get a great bang for your buck and not ingest half as much useless plant smoke in the process! So, what exactly is hashish? Hashish is a potent and flavorful cannabis extract with a history interesting enough to match its excellent high!

How is Hashish Made?

Making hashish is relatively easy, especially when compared to some of the more involved extraction methods on the modern market. You don't need a CO2 extractor or any particular training. Instead, all you need to make hash is a way to knock trichomes off trim for a big ol' pile of kief. But, while kief is great in and of itself, it still isn't the same thing as hashish (at least not yet)! No, hash is made when all that kief you separated from the plant matter is pressurized and condensed. That's right, old school hashish is just super condensed kief — and what is there to not love about condensed kief with a THC percentage ranging between 30 to 40 percent? If you like weed, chances are you'd enjoy getting your hands on some quality hash.

The History of Hashish

The history of hashish is fairly consistent, excepting, of course, the last century or so. For thousands of years, humanity enjoyed the effects of old school hash across the globe. But recent history has had a marked effect on the way we interact with and consume this ancient delicacy. For one, the war on drugs drastically altered the way society perceived and interacted with cannabis and cannabis products. Hash did not escape scrutiny and, as a result, faced a ton of restrictions and regulations and even legal risks. Then the public fought back for cannabis legalization and, unexpectedly, the widespread legalization of weed in America presented an entirely new hash problem: hash just isn't strong enough to compare with modern concentrates!

But cannabis isn't only about getting high, otherwise there wouldn't be entire companies based around extracting the most potent product they can without disrupting the natural terpene profile of the plant. The high you get from consuming weed is important but so is the flavor and the way you feel! Old school hashish may not be able to match the potency of more contemporary weed products but that doesn't mean its any less valuable. If you appreciate the experience of cannabis as much as the high, then quality hash is the way to go.

Hashish Today

If old school hashish is relatively easy to make, potent, flavorful, and historically significant to boot, then why is it that popularity fading in recent years? Since the wave of cannabis decriminalization and legalization in America, hash use has dropped significantly. Though it seems counterintuitive, the rise of legalization and decriminalization had a lot to do with America's sudden disinterest in hashish. Why, after all, would you go for a product with only 30% THC when any ol' concentrate on your local dispensary shelf has at least twice that?

Consider a spoonful of sugar vs. an enticing slice of chocolate cake. If you were baked out of your mind and craving a sweet munchie, which would you pick? Probably the cake, and that makes sense considering just how boring a spoonful of sugar tastes (even if it does satisfy your sweet tooth). The same metaphor can be extended to old school hash vs. modern concentrates. Sure, you can technically get 99.9 percent THC products — but you don't necessarily want to! Unlike many modern, high-THC concentrates, hashish truly preserves the essence of weed with top-notch flavors, effects, and overall experience. Despite the recent trends, hashish won't be disappearing any time soon and, as long as we have stoners, we'll have hash. Try some old school hashish out for yourself and you'll see exactly what made this particular cannabis extract last through the millennia!

Video featuring Trichome Institute

Video Summary by Isabella Cook

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