SOAPBAR (it's called "soap" because a 250g bar is shaped like a bar of soap) is perhaps the most common type of hash in the UK and it is often the most polluted.

Now, not all soap is bad of course, but some certainly is. At worst there may only be a tiny amount of low grade hash mixed with some very strange stuff:

Beeswax, turpentine, milk powder, ketamine, boot polish, henna, pine resin, aspirin, animal turds, ground coffee, barbiturates, glues and dyes plus carcinogenic solvents such as Toluene and Benzene

This is what happens under prohibition. If your pint down the pub contained any of these nasty things wouldn't you complain? Of course you would, well now its time to complain about polluted cannabis supplies.

DON'T SMOKE SOAP
DON'T BUY SOAP
DON'T SELL SOAP

The government is well aware of this situation and seems happy to expose the millions of cannabis users to dangers which simple quality controls could eliminate, but of course, that means accepting they're wrong and legalising cannabis.

Join us in saying "NO" to crap hash, tell your friends, tell your dealer and ask your MP why they refuse to allow quality controls for cannabis


What to do if all you can get is dodgy soap bar

Not all soap is as bad as all that though, so be choosey when buying it.

Don't buy rock-hard stuff, or samples that give off a dark acrid smoke when burned.

Cutting through a block of resin should expose a brown coloured surface (including if you have black hash) and it should fluff up when heated and be easy to powder with just a little flaming.

The smell of pure hash smoke is also very distinctive in its own right, learn what to sniff for!

To be honest, it's best to go without rather than smoke some of the really bad stuff available out there, but if you really have no choice, you can try this:

How to clean polluted hash


Well, it's not that easy, but you can try this if your stash is bad enough:

In a saucepan, boil up a small amount of water (perhaps to a depth of 2 cm or so).

Add your yucky sample of crap soap

Simmer gently and crush the hash block

The water will more than likely turn yellow, maybe due to the henna (or worse) dissolving out.

When the hash has all powdered up, drain the water off and put the remaining powder onto kitchen paper towels to dry out.

As cannabis oils are not soluble in water so the potency of what you have won't be too badly damaged and given what comes off it's said to be well worth it (although to be fair this is no way to treat good hash!). You'll also have a lot smaller stash at the end of this though. Of course, we can't promise this will always work, but UKCIA has heard of good results.

Don't just hope for a change soon, help bring it about.