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The History of Hash – How Cannabis Concentrates Have Changed Over Time

Louisiana allows patients to apply for a medical marijuana card and once approved, legally purchase and possess any of the cannabis products found at Louisiana pharmacies.

Currently, you can find cannabis flower, vape cartridges, edibles, and concentrates at Louisiana pharmacies, and new products are arriving every day.

Concentrates, also known as hash, have evolved alongside cannabis at a very fast rate, and today you can find expert-level modern extractions that produce incredibly pure, high THC hash.

Concentrates are an ancient form of cannabis that has a rich history that involves government conspiracies, Napoléon Bonaparte, and possibly even assassins.

In this article, we’ll give you a brief history of hash, and take a look at how concentrates have evolved over time!

The Early Years of Hash

Hash Was Made by Rubbing Cannabis Plants in Your Hands

The precise origins of hash are unknown, but with archeological references to its use as an anesthetic and later as a recreational substance, researchers date the use of hash to around 4,000 BCE.

Hash was originally made by rubbing cannabis plants in between your hands to produce a sticky residue called Charas, which was collected over days over rubbing until there was a large enough quantity to consume.

Later, in around 1,000 CE, a group of assassins in Persia and Syria were rumored to have derived the name “assassin” from the Persian word “hashishin” as their leader reportedly smoked hash and gave it to his followers, though it’s possible that this was a rumor that was started about the group in around 1210 CE.

We do know that hash was favored for its ease with transport, as cultivating and processing cannabis buds was not a common method yet.

Hash traveled from Persia and Central Asia all throughout India and Egypt, eventually arriving in France and Europe.

Hash Smoking in the 1500s

Before the advent of tobacco in the 1500s, hash was probably burned as incense or eaten, though it’s possible that hash was smoked long before this as well.

From the introduction of tobacco forward, though, hash found its popularity with smoking, and in 1798 Napoléon Bonaparte made consuming hash illegal, and ordered the immediate public burning of all hash products in the country.

Believing that hash caused insanity and irrational behavior, Napoleon’s decision to ban hash was met with plenty of resistance, and his own troops and many artists, scientists, and researchers brought hash back to France from Egypt.

Hash clubs and socialized use of hash continued to increase in Europe and throughout the world into the early 1900s, where we see the United States Military step into the cannabis conversation.

How The US Government Put Hash into The Hands of Soldiers

WWII, MKUltra and Government Sponsored Cannabis

It wasn’t until the 1940s, though, that the United States government took a new swing at cannabis, by testing it on soldiers.

Throughout the ’50s, ‘60s, and 70s, many United States Soldiers were recruited on Army bases for trials and research at Edgewood Arsenal, commonly applying from papers nailed to a public post where Soldiers could apply for

In the study of the new psyops and in the pursuit of truth syrums, the Office of Strategic Services (later CIA) recruited Soldiers for their biochemical experiments, studying the effects of various compounds such as THC, and THC Isolate as potential agents.

Developing a new type of cannabis isolate, researchers created a new compound called EA2233, also known as dimethylheptylpyran, a synthetic analog of THC that produced a much longer and much more intense high than THC.

How the United States Government Took Hash into the 21st Century

Though the program was largely unsuccessful (eventually merging into MKUltra) it did offer a new product in the scientific community.

Shortly before researchers created the synthetic analog of THC, they were able to isolate THC into distillate, forming it into a “red oil” that was known as EA1476.

This red oil is the father of modern cannabis distillate, and it’s what’s brought us into modern concentrate production techniques.

Shortly after the heightened attention to criminalizing cannabis, the program supposedly shut down, and all we have left is the red oil that they used as a potential truth serum in their experiments.

Nowadays, complex closed-loop extraction methods allow us to create impressively high levels of THC into concentrates, and we can largely thank the government for that technique.

If nothing else, you can thank government conspiracies for your modern wax and sugar, which will forever exist as a distant cousin to “the red oil”.

Get Your Louisiana Medical Marijuana Certification

Louisiana offers an open and accessible medical marijuana program, and you can become a medical marijuana patient today! To qualify for a medical cannabis certification in Louisiana, consult with one of our doctors who can help you get your card online!

You can become a medical marijuana patient today by consulting with one of our qualified doctors!

Getting a medical marijuana card in Louisiana is easier than ever, beat the lines and get your medical marijuana certification in Louisiana today, and you can even get certified for medical marijuana online for ease of use and convenience.

For questions about Louisiana’s medical marijuana program, or how to become a medical marijuana patient in Louisiana, consult with one of our trusted doctors and book an online medical marijuana appointment today!

Doctors Who Care.

Relief You Can Trust.

At Louisiana Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.

Call us at (833) 253-2943, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!

Check out Louisiana Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in Louisiana!



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