Hashish is a concentrated cannabis product made by compressing the resin from the plant’s trichomes, and it carries a higher THC concentration than marijuana, which is the dried leaves, flowers and stems.
Cannabis has been used for medicinal and recreational purposes for thousands of years, and its popularity continues to grow worldwide. Two of the most popular forms of cannabis are marijuana and hashish, each distinguished by its concentration of active ingredients.
The marijuana plant, known as cannabis, pot, weed, Mary Jane and ganja, contains a variety of compounds including cannabinoids, which interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system to produce psychoactive and physical effects. Marijuana and hashish come from the same plant and differ in 3 distinct ways: extraction, cannabinoid concentration and potency.
What Is Hashish?
Hashish is made by collecting the sticky resinous trichomes from the cannabis plant’s flowers and leaves and compressing them into a solid, paste-like form.
The resin produces a product darker in color than traditional marijuana, ranging from dark brown through green to dark blonde. Hashish also carries a higher concentration of THC, the compound responsible for the plant’s psychoactive effects.
Hash-making processes have existed for centuries, and the “bubble hash” method, which uses ice water, is gaining popularity. Hash production requires no solvents, and solvents produce derivatives such as hash oils and waxes. Modern extraction methods raise the potency of the substance substantially. Whatever the method of preparation, hashish has strong psychotropic effects.
What Are the Common Names for Hash?
Hashish goes by hash, hasheesh, shish, hemp, dab, kif, boom, gangster and charas.
The Arabic root of hashish means grass. In text exchanges and online, the hashtag symbol (#) stands in for hashish.
There are 8 other street names for hashish:
- hasheesh
- shish
- hemp
- dab or dabs
- kif, keef or kief
- boom
- gangster
- charas
How Do Marijuana and Hashish Differ?
Hashish is the compressed resin of the cannabis plant and marijuana is its dried leaves, flowers and stems, which is why hashish carries the higher cannabinoid concentration.
Cannabis has served both recreational and medicinal purposes for centuries, and marijuana and hashish rank as the most widely used illicit drugs in the world. Both derive from the cannabis plant through different extraction. Most cannabis preparations, marijuana and hashish alike, are smoked or taken orally after mixing with other substances, and further chemical differences separate the effects and potency of the two.
Hash is produced from the resin of the cannabis plant. That resin contains high levels of cannabinoids, with THC responsible for the primary psychoactive effect. Hashish is more potent than marijuana because of its higher cannabinoid concentration.
Marijuana is composed of the dried leaves, flowers and stems of the cannabis plant. Marijuana contains a lower concentration of cannabinoids than hashish, and the exact composition varies with the strain and the method of cultivation.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health records marijuana as one of the most used drugs in the U.S. The survey found that 35.4% of young adults aged 18 to 25, or 11.8 million people, reported using marijuana in 2021.
Is Hashish Consumed Differently Than Marijuana?
Hashish is smoked, brewed into teas, rolled into a joint or blunt, or dabbed as a concentrate.
Marijuana reaches users through the same routes, and the difference between the two lies in potency rather than method.
There are 4 ways hash is used:
- brewed into teas or other consumable items
- smoked through a pipe or water pipe (bong)
- rolled into a joint or blunt
- dabbed as a marijuana concentrate
Hash is mixed with tobacco when burned, because hash is harder to ignite on its own. Dabbing has grown in popularity alongside concentrated cannabis products such as hash oil, wax, budder and shatter, a hard resinous substance, all of which deliver high amounts of THC.
How Is Marijuana Consumed?
Marijuana is smoked, vaped, eaten as edibles, or applied as a tincture or topical.
A 2020 survey recorded 49.6 million people using cannabis in the previous 12 months. Of those, 5.1%, or 14.2 million people, received a cannabis use disorder diagnosis.
There are 5 methods used for marijuana consumption:
- smoking it as a joint or blunt, from a pipe or water pipe (bong), or through a dab rig for a more concentrated form
- vaping through a vaporizer
- eating edibles, including gummies, cookies, brownies and candies
- applying tinctures and topicals
- using other marijuana products
More states are legalizing marijuana across the United States, and usage is rising alongside that change. Hashish contains higher levels of THC than smoked or ingested cannabis, which presents additional health risks.
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What Are the Effects of Hashish Use?
Hashish produces increased appetite, anxiety, raised heart rate and blood pressure, impaired coordination, attention problems, paranoia and, at high doses, delusions and hallucinations.
The use of hashish, a concentrated form of cannabis, produces short-term and long-term effects. Hashish is used for its psychoactive effects, and extended use raises the risk of physical and psychological harm.
What Are the Short-Term Effects of Hashish?
There are 8 short-term effects of hashish:
- Increased appetite: known as “the munchies”, a common effect where a person experiences heightened hunger.
- Anxiety: nervousness or anxiety, particularly in unfamiliar situations or at a high dose.
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia): the heart rate rises sharply shortly after using hashish, which is dangerous for people with heart conditions.
- Increased blood pressure (hypertension): blood pressure rises alongside heart rate, which poses risks to people with pre-existing hypertension.
- Impaired coordination: motor skills decline, which makes tasks requiring precision, such as driving, dangerous.
- Attention and problem-solving problems: difficulty focusing or solving complex problems, which damages academic and work performance.
- Paranoia: unjustified suspicion that other people intend harm.
- Delusions and hallucinations: at high doses, hashish produces delusions or hallucinations, where a person sees or hears things that are not there.
People who consume hash containing contaminated substances experience further effects. Dealers add unknown substances to hashish to increase its volume and charge higher prices. The added substances include carcinogenic solvents, barbiturates and ketamine, which pose serious health risks when ingested.
What Are the Long-Term Effects of Hash Use?
Long-term hash use produces dependence and addiction, respiratory damage, raised mental health risk and cognitive impairment.
The short-term effects of hashish use are well documented, and the long-term effects matter as much.
There are 4 long-term effects:
- Dependency and addiction: regular use of hashish produces physical and psychological dependence, which makes quitting difficult.
- Respiratory problems: smoking hashish harms the respiratory system in the way smoking tobacco does, including chronic bronchitis and lung infections.
- Mental health risks: evidence links chronic hashish use to the development or worsening of mental health conditions, including anxiety, panic attacks, schizophrenia and depression, particularly in people predisposed to them.
- Cognitive impairment: long-term use impairs brain function.
What Are the Mental Health Effects of Hashish?
High doses of hashish produce amnesia, hallucinations, altered perception and reduced concentration, and regular inhalation raises schizophrenia risk in vulnerable people.
At high doses, a person experiences negative mental health effects including amnesia, hallucinations, altered perception of reality and reduced concentration. Regular inhalation of hash raises the risk of schizophrenia in vulnerable people. Hashish also carries a raised risk of anxiety, depression and cannabis amotivational syndrome, a condition marked by apathy and a diminished ability to carry out long-term plans.
Cannabis also alters the brain’s reward system, which raises the likelihood of addiction or dependence as a person consumes more of the substance to reach the effect they first felt.
What Is Cannabis Use Disorder?
Cannabis use disorder is a DSM-5-TR diagnosis, and the CDC estimates that 10% of people who use cannabis have it.
Frequent consumption of cannabis or hashish raises the risk of developing cannabis use disorder. Marijuana was treated as non-addictive for years, and research has established that marijuana is addictive. Marijuana now carries higher levels of THC than in previous decades, which produces a greater effect on the brain and a higher potential for addiction.
There are 7 signs that indicate a cannabis use disorder:
- craving marijuana constantly
- failing to quit using marijuana on your own
- engaging in risky actions or behaviors while intoxicated
- neglecting essential life activities or responsibilities
- consuming marijuana regularly and in larger quantities than intended
- experiencing withdrawal symptoms
- straining relationships with family and friends
Recreationally, cannabis is used for decreased anxiety, increased sociability and relief from stress. Physiological dependence on cannabis is documented, and DSM-5-TR recognizes cannabis withdrawal as a diagnosis alongside psychological dependence. The American Psychiatric Association records both hashish and marijuana as substances that produce cannabis use disorder.
Where Can You Get Help for Cannabis Use Disorder?
Riverside Recovery of Tampa treats cannabis use disorder across medical detox, residential treatment, day/night treatment, intensive outpatient and outpatient therapy.
Riverside Recovery of Tampa offers a full continuum of care for addiction treatment in Florida. 75% of our staff are in recovery and have been through the recovery process themselves. Our facility provides medical detox, residential treatment, day/night treatment, intensive outpatient and outpatient therapy.
Continued hash use produces an addiction that makes stopping difficult even against undesirable outcomes. Physical dependence follows continued use.
There are 7 withdrawal symptoms that follow stopping hash:
- trouble sleeping
- irritability
- increased cravings for hash
- anxiety
- mood swings
- isolation
- loss of interest in activities
Our team is here to help where you or someone you love struggles with cannabis use. Riverside Recovery of Tampa provides substance use disorder and addiction treatment options to help you get back the life you love.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Cannabis (Marijuana) DrugFacts: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/cannabis-marijuana
- Drug Enforcement Administration, Marijuana/Cannabis Drug Fact Sheet: https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Marijuana-Cannabis-2020_0.pdf
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, Marijuana: https://medlineplus.gov/marijuana.html
- National Library of Medicine, PMC4608364: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4608364/
- National Library of Medicine, PMC3570572: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570572/
- Get Smart About Drugs, What You Should Know About Marijuana Concentrates: https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/content/what-you-should-know-about-marijuana-concentrates-honey-butane-oil