Hashish and its effects
2009.04.26
Hashish is a cannabinoid, like marijuana. Hashish, popularly known as Hash, is produced by collecting and processing the stronger material generated by un-pollinated female marijuana (cannabis) plant. The
Hence it has similar psychoactive effects as found in marijuana. Hash is often solid or semi-solid, which softens due to varying heat conditions, and can be found in colors like green, black, reddish brown or light to dark brown. Consumption of hash is kind of similar to the way cannabis is consumed. It can be used in smoking pipe, hookah, bong, bubbler, or smoked in joints with tobacco mixed in it, etc. It can also be consumed alone, without mixing it with anything, in many places it is also used as an ingredient in foods, as well as baked into bakery stuffs like cakes, cookies etc.
Effects of Hash
Hash is a soft drug, unlike other drugs its consumption does not generate the “abstinence syndrome” but they do capture the consumer psychologically. But unlike other drug's effect which makes the consumer to stay alone most of the time, it generates an opposite emotion and helps the person to open up to other people, it also increases imagination, euphoria, and hallucination. It is said that Hash is not very addictive, and the consumer can leave it anytime he wants.
Hash consumption can create short -term problems like memory, slow learning process, distorted perception, lack of problem solving capabilities, judgment, perception, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, panic attacks, anxiety etc. The long term problems created are respiratory problems, bronchitis, lung infections.
Usage of hash is deeply harmful during pregnancy, studies indicate that babies of hash consuming mothers are comparatively smaller to the babies of mother who doesn't consume hash, and in general smaller babies are prone to health problems. A mother can pass some of the harmful components of hash to the babies through breast-feeding as well, especially during the first month of feeding.
In the West, there are mostly strict cannabis laws, which force a person to produce Hash and other drugs on their own, rather than buying the low quality product. The law varies from region to region, for instance in countries like Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Iran and Algeria the punishment is Death Penalty; in Cyprus there is zero tolerance which leads to a heavy fine or even imprisonment; in South East Asia sentences of 40-50 years; in India 10 years of imprisonment for smoking cannabis; in Italy it is 20 years.