Hashish

Hashish is a sticky, thick, dark-colored resin resembling sap, which is made from the flower of the female cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa. This plant's leaves and flowers contain a chemical called THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which gives individuals who smoke or eat parts of the cannabis plant a feeling of euphoria, or a "high". The two drugs produced from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant are marijuana and hashish. Hashish has more of the chemical THC than marijuana. Hashish is a psychoactive (mind-altering) drug which is illegal in the United States, Canada, and many other countries.

When individuals use hashish, they usually smoke it by putting a small piece of hashish in a joint with tobacco or marijuana. Hashish can also be smoked out of a pipe or bong, and some people also eat hashish by mixing it into food or baked goods.

The THC in hashish finds brain cells, or neurons, with specific kinds of receptors called cannabinoid receptors and binds to them. These areas of the brain are the hippocampus, the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex. The THC in hashish interferes with learning and memory, because the hippocampus plays a critical role in certain types of learning. Disrupting this area of the brain with hashish can lead to problems studying, learning new things, and recalling recent events.

Hashish gives the user an extended sense of relaxation, and may cause some users to feel disorientated and sleepy. Another common side effect of hashish is it causes the user to become hungry. Since hashish is much stronger than marijuana, individuals who ingest large amounts of hashish may hallucinate. Some individuals may begin to feel scared or paranoid. Hashish's short-term side effects include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety.

One of the dangers of using hashish is that it increases the risk of normal accidents, and dramatically alters the way individuals respond to emergency situations, which could be dangerous in activities like driving a car or motorcycle.

Withdrawal symptoms that someone addicted to hashish may experience upon cessation of use are insomnia, irritability, aggression, nausea, a depletion of appetite, headaches and particularly tenacious cravings in regards to the drug.

As is the case with regular tobacco, there is an increased risk of lung cancer and related illnesses when using hashish. Hashish is also considered a gateway drug to other more hard core drugs.

The potency of hashish has increased in recent decades, as much as 6x's the as potency of the 1960's and 70's. With increased potency comes an increased likelihood of addiction and dependence to the drug.