When you start to learn a new subject, discovering new things will only raise questions. Similarly, if you’ve recently gotten into using marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, you may still be trying to wrap your head around sativa strains, indica strains, buds, edibles, and oils.

But then you come across something else on your local dispensary shelves or their online website”hash. Do you know the key differences between hash and marijuana?

What is Hash?

Both hash and marijuana come from the same cannabis plant. What’s the distinction between the two? Weed is the flower bud of the female cannabis plant, and hash is the product of processing the flower bud in a certain way.

When cannabis plants are in full bloom, farmers collect flower buds and hang up to dry. Once completely dried, they remove any stems, excess leaves, and seeds, and the resulting green bundle is what consumers typically refer to as weed.

On the other hand, hash is made from the trichomes and resinous gland heads found on the flower buds’ surface. Cannabis farmers separate the tiny glistening crystals called trichomes from the rest of the plant after harvesting and drying the cannabis flowers.

What are the Different Types of Hash?

• Dry Sift Hash“ One of the easiest ways to make hash is the dry sift process, which involves filtering the trichomes through a screen. You can smoke the resulting product on its own or add it to edibles. This method is most common in the top hash-producing regions like Morocco and Afghanistan.
  

• Ice Water (Bubble) Hash“ Bubble hash, also known as ice hash, refers to collecting hash from the bud by submerging it in ice-cold water and passing it through progressively smaller screens until only trichomes remain. That’s one of the oldest and purest methods of making hash, using only ice and water as a solvent.
  

Different parts of the world process the sticky powder, usually called pollen, differently. Here are a few other ways that hash can be consolidated for use:

• In some cultures, hash producers carefully rub the flowers by hand, resulting in a brown, dark, sticky substance.
  

• In other areas, producers use a different technique, by which they roll raw marijuana between their fingers, sometimers with a little bit of water, to form dark and sticky balls of hash.
  

• Other cultures use sieves to separate the resin and flower. Then the trichomes are repeatedly pressed using finer sieves to create a block of hash.
  

How Using Hash Differs from Using Marijuana

One of the most prominent differences you might notice between smoking hash and weed is the variance in tastes. While both marijuana and weed come in different flavors, once you taste both hash and weed, you will be able to distinguish between the two every time you smell or taste either.

When it comes to usage, you can smoke both hash and marijuana with a pipe, bong, or as a joint like a cigarette. You can also use hash in many different ways other than smoking.

Traditionally, people consumed hash orally”either as a solid or infused into drinks. A few varieties of hash have the ability to melt in liquids. You can use such forms of hash in a vaporizer.

Though you can consume hash and marijuana in similar ways, they vary in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. Pot”the most common form of cannabis”is the least potent, with THC content ranging between 25 to 30 percent. Hash is typically more potent, with THC levels ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent.

Is Hash Legal in Canada?

The Canadian government has made cannabis extracts, edibles, and topicals legally licensed cannabis dispensaries or online stores.

Canadian citizens of legal age (19, in most provinces) can use everything from skincare products to baked goods that contain cannabis. Since topical products and extracts are legal to sell in any approved Canada dispensary, users now have access to a wide range of products ranging from vape juice to hash. However, buyers do have to abide by the legal possession limits.

Final Notes for First-time Hash Users

When you try hash for the first time, keep in mind that, as with marijuana products, there are significant differences in effects across different variants. Either consult with the budtender or research the effects of different variants before settling for a specific one. And, as always, follow best practices for safe THC use.