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.
Hashish and marijuana come from the same cannabis plant and differ in 3 ways: how they are made, how concentrated their cannabinoids are and how potent they feel.
Key Takeaways
- The CDC estimates that about 10% of people who use cannabis have cannabis use disorder, a DSM-5-TR diagnosis.
- The 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 35.4% of young adults aged 18 to 25, or 11.8 million people, used marijuana that year.
- Hash is smoked, brewed into tea, rolled into joints or dabbed, and dabbing concentrated forms such as hash oil, wax and shatter delivers the highest amounts of THC.
- Street hash can be cut with solvents, barbiturates or ketamine to add volume, which adds risks beyond THC itself.
- Stopping regular hash use brings withdrawal symptoms such as trouble sleeping, irritability, cravings and anxiety, and DSM-5-TR recognizes cannabis withdrawal as its own diagnosis.
What Is Hashish?
Hashish is made by collecting the sticky resin glands, called trichomes, from the cannabis plant’s flowers and leaves and pressing them into a solid block, ball or paste.
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 well above plain hash. 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.
Hashish has 8 other street names:
- hasheesh
- shish
- hemp
- dab or dabs
- kif, keef or kief
- boom
- gangster
- charas
Kief is also rolled with hash oil onto cannabis buds to make moon rocks weed, a high-THC product built from the same resin.
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 (cannabis flower) 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 consumed much like marijuana, since both are smoked, brewed into teas or rolled into joints, but hash is often dabbed as a concentrate and delivers more THC per use.
Hash is used in 4 ways:
- 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.
Smoking, Vaping and Edibles: Marijuana Methods
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.
Marijuana is consumed in 5 ways:
- 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 short-term effects such as increased appetite, anxiety, a racing heart and impaired coordination, and long-term use raises the risk of dependence, lung problems and mental health conditions.
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?
Hashish has 8 short-term effects:
- 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.
Taking more THC than the body can handle can lead to greening out, a short episode of nausea, dizziness and panic. 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.
Hash use has 5 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.
- Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome: some long-term heavy users develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which brings repeated bouts of severe nausea and vomiting.
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 for cannabis use, including hash use, that a person cannot control despite harm, and the CDC estimates that about 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.
Cannabis use disorder shows 7 common signs:
- 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, including hash addiction, with medical detox, residential treatment, day/night treatment, intensive outpatient care and outpatient therapy for adults in Florida.
Riverside Recovery of Tampa offers a full continuum of addiction treatment in Florida, starting with medical detox. 75% of our staff are in recovery and have been through the recovery process themselves.
Treatment for cannabis use disorder centers on behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management, since no medication is FDA-approved for it, and it ends with relapse prevention planning before discharge.
Continued hash use produces an addiction that makes stopping difficult even against undesirable outcomes. Physical dependence follows continued use.
Stopping hash brings 7 common withdrawal symptoms:
- 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.
Riverside Recovery of Tampa’s admissions line at (800) 871-5440 is staffed 24 hours a day. The Riverside Recovery of Tampa admissions page explains the phone screening, what to have ready and when same-day intake is possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hash
Does hash make you high?
Yes. Hash contains THC, the compound responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis, at a higher concentration than marijuana, so it produces a stronger high. Short-term effects include increased appetite, anxiety, a raised heart rate and impaired coordination.
How is hash used?
Hash is smoked in a pipe, rolled into a joint or blunt, brewed into tea, or dabbed as a concentrate. Every method delivers THC, and dabbing concentrated forms delivers the highest amounts.
Is hash stronger than weed?
Yes. Hash is more potent than weed because it is made from compressed cannabis resin, which holds a higher concentration of cannabinoids, including THC, than the dried leaves, flowers and stems that make up marijuana.
How is hash made?
Hash is made by collecting the sticky resin glands, called trichomes, from the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant and pressing them into blocks or balls. The method varies, but the result is always a concentrated form of cannabis.
Is hash considered a hard drug?
Hash is not a separate drug from marijuana. It is a concentrated form of cannabis, and its higher THC level raises the risk of dependence and cannabis use disorder compared with lower-potency marijuana.
Is hash dangerous?
Hash carries the same risks as other cannabis at a higher dose of THC. Regular use can lead to dependence and cannabis use disorder, which the CDC estimates about 10% of people who use cannabis have, and hash bought on the street can contain contaminants added to increase its volume.
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Cannabis use disorder. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Drug Enforcement Administration. (2020). Marijuana/cannabis [Drug fact sheet]. U.S. Department of Justice.
- Drug Enforcement Administration. (n.d.). What you should know about marijuana concentrates/honey butane oil. Get Smart About Drugs.
- MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Cannabis. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/cannabis.html
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Cannabis (marijuana). https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/cannabis
- Sharma, P., Murthy, P., & Bharath, M. M. S. (2012). Chemistry, metabolism, and toxicology of cannabis: Clinical implications. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 7(4), 149-156.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.