Hashish (pronounced /hæˈʃiːʃ/ or /ˈhæʃiːʃ/) (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, but those differences usually stem from variations between regionally different Cannabis specimens, that are more traditionally processed into hashish.
Hashish is a cannabinoid, like marijuana. It consists of the THC-rich resinous material of the cannabis plant, which is collected, dried, and then compressed into a variety of forms, such as balls, cakes, or cookie-like sheets. The Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan/Afghanistan are the main sources of hashish. The THC content of hashish that reached the United States, where demand is limited, averaged 6 percent in the 1990s.
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 as well as used as an ingredient in food.
