THE FUTURE OF ARTISANAL HASHISH IN CALIFORNIA WORDS FRENCHY PICS KIM SALLAWAY

nce upon a time, a Legalization in California will O snowball called Cannabis be a turning point in the modern Legalization began to history of Cannabis and Hashish; it roll in California and has today be- will serve as a reference to the rest come an unstoppable, worldwide of the world for the future to come. avalanche. The Golden State will It is a great responsibility and the soon be stepping out of its “Reefer most unique opportunity ever. Madness Era” into a new epoch The world will never be the and artisanal Hashish makers have same once medical and adult-use is a window of opportunity to carve established, and we are all part of out a space in the global industry. bringing this historic moment to life. To grasp this opportunity before it is lost, steps must be taken to protect the producers and growers and also to build an 1ST STEP artisanal Hashish industry. There PROTECTING is a present need for a Hashishin Guild Association to not only create CALIFORNIA’S HERITAGE a mandatory standardization of WITH AOC-STYLE artisanal Hashish but also politically CLASSIFICATION support growers associations as an The future of artisanal Hashish in organized entity so that California California will be first determined patrimony is preserved. by legislation that will protect our

50 JUNE 2015 (clockwise from top left) Happy faces, Gorilla Glue #4 in trim bin, Strawberry Kush bubble hash, a dish full of hash, an irresistible hash square. THE FUTURE OF ARTISANAL HASHISH IN CALIFORNIA

Trichomes galore

producing regions, our growers Association embodies the “voice and our heirloom genetics. of California’s Cannabis farmers”. A Hashishin is totally depen- Their mission is to preserve Califor- dent to his source of material. nia’s craft cannabis farms; this will Masters and beginners are in the be done by establishing cannabis same position, and so it is im- as an agricultural product, devel- perative for all of us to unite and oping tiered business licensing1 support legislature that will protect and creating a system that would the uniqueness of the land, the replicate the French wine Appel- growers and the future of our col- lation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC lective labors. - “Registered designation of origin” Associations like EGA (Em- in English) classification. The AOC erald Growers Association) are distinguishes specific products being formed to unite the Can- that gain their uniqueness from nabis industry in California and to the region of origin. The AOC is a represent growers at the state and quality specification not limited to local levels. The Emerald Growers the product’s characteristics but

52 JUNE 2015 more importantly to the geog- raphy, geology, climate, human ND skills, traditions and inherited 2 STEP knowledge that make the final POSITIONING CALIFORNIA product unique. Each specific AS THE ONLY PRODUCER region imparts its identity to the OF HIGH-END local product and thus preserves ARTISANAL HASHISH 2 biodiversity , the French word The second step is a simple choice: 3 “terroir” encompass the notion . Will it be quality or quantity? This categorization is es- The focus of all Hashish pro- sential to the preservation of ducing countries has been about the land’s distinctiveness, to the exporting “quantity” for the past future of our Growers, and to the fifty years. Reversing the business economy of the state in general. model to focus on quality will be a The land where grapes are difficult if not impossible transition grown for wine provides a unique for most producers. quality that is specific to that Uruguay became, last year, particular region, and it is very the first country to approve the much the same with Cannabis in growth, sale and distribution of 4 California. The terms appellation , Cannabis. The parliament of Mo- 5 6 terroir and domaine are not only rocco, biggest exporter of Hashish homages to quality, they also pro- in the world today, is planning the tect small landowners and organic legalization of the recreational use farming as well as define the high- of Cannabis and Hashish7, Jamaica est standards for the cultivation of is on the verge of legalization8, the plant. Guatemala, Chili and Costa Rica are also contemplating some form of Cannabis legalization. World export is just down the road. Our choices today will truly define the health of our local indus- try in the not too distant future.

(top to bottom) Trichomes in the Trim Bin, Trim Bin kief and zested dry extract OG Diesel

Bathing in California rays THE FUTURE OF ARTISANAL HASHISH IN CALIFORNIA

3RD STEP DEFINING QUALITY AND TERMINOLOGY FOR THE INDUSTRY The third step is to define quality and to create a classification system accordingly, which implies a common, meaningful and precise terminology. The words we use to represent ourselves and our craft have to be accurate and significant -- the way we are perceived now and in the future depends upon this. For example, “Ice Water Extrac- tion” is the term used to describe the main sieving technique used today; but it is a misleading and in- (above) OG Kush resin correct definition since an extraction (right) Strawberry OG is a method to separate a substance water ice extract with a solvent. Water is classified as a solvent but it does not dissolve the resin glands so that the technique cannot legitimately be called an extraction. In the Ice Water Extraction process, we collect resin whole and unal- tered, as opposed to dissolved and extracted. The simple fact that the sieving process is done using water does not turn it into an extraction. “Ice Water Sieving” may not sound cutting edge but it is none- theless a more accurate definition of the process. California could become the the application of an Appellation The terminology used to label only producer of High End Artisanal d’Origine Contrôlée system in the loose resin glands is part classifica- Hashish on the planet; an exclusive Cannabis industry. tion, part description and part pro- positioning that would protect motion; an advertising tool based on small collectives and support appearance and techniques personal

54 JUNE 2015 (left and above) Fields of dreams

to each Hash maker. I have been taught to never trust choice for most modern Hash makers. Most people in the Cannabis my eyes. I judge resin quality by its We all have preferences and industry will agree that the word faculty to melt into a mass through prejudices but we can nonetheless rec- Kief (Kif) describes “loose sieved resin hand pressing. The volume of resin ognize and agree on quality (most of glands”. If that is the case then labels formed in the glands and its purity will the time) when we see it, so defining like Ice Wax, Grease, Bubble or Beach be revealed by the amount of heat and the main components should not be an Sand are only an illustration of the pressure necessary to transform indi- impossible task, especially if we have quality of the Kief but without an vidual resin glands into a mass of resin the help of our scientific community. agreed upon classification system the and in the final texture of the pressed terms can lead to confusion. resin, but pressing is not a standard It seems important, if not mandatory, to create a common vocabulary starting by a word that would define loose resin glands in the most general terms. We also need the framework and terminology for a future grading system and for that we need to first accurately define quality, which is chal- lenging when many opinions, prefer- ences and beliefs come into play. The volume of resin formed in the glands, the cannabinoids and terpenes content as well as the purity of the sieved trichomes denote the quality of the end product above all else, but other elements are brought into play by methodology, like the use of water. The dryness and the structural stability of the resin are important aspects of quality in Ice Water Sieving and have to be considered as well. The combustion of the resin and its reaction to heat are likewise good indicators of resin quality and should also be taken into account. The appearance of loose resin glands on the other hand is contro- versial as a barometer of quality; the drying techniques and presentation of individual Hash makers should not be criteria of quality. Gorilla Glue #4 at 30 days THE FUTURE OF ARTISANAL HASHISH IN CALIFORNIA

Hash, hash, beautiful hash

community together in the most our craft. TH positive way and create a legacy However a label of origins 4 STEP for future generations. system based on the AOC is the CREATE A This should be considered a best economic choice; global GRADING SYSTEM mandatory for the professional rural studies, like the one done Once a quality approval structure evolution of our craft. by Elizabeth Barham9, show the has been created, the grading sys- Above all, we will ultimately increasing demand and importance tem has to be easy to supplement; be controlled by the Food and Drug of specialty products in today’s the number of grades will simply be Administration’s legislations that world market and clearly indicate a reflection of the level of quality we mandate the tools we are using are the best informed choice. want to implement. The configura- sanitary. It can be assumed that Part 2 of this article will be tion of the classification could be the FDA is not going to allow the an overview of the history of wine as simple as using a star system or use of washing machines made for and the correlation to the Future of descriptive to clarify the attributes clothing in California, as is the case the Emerald Triangle and Artisanal of each specific grade of resin. in Colorado. Hashish in California. A grading system is a classifica- There is no FDA approved Part 3 will be dedicated to the tion of quality and as such should be washer available on the market creation of the first modern Hash- considered a testimony of California today, which is a serious setback ishin Guild Association. values to the outside world. The for our community. We desperately highest standards must apply. need laboratory grade equipment Knowledge and education are to keep to the high standards that also fundamental to the future of the future will require. We should artisanal Hashish in California. We embrace these limitations as an have to study in-depth traditional and opportunity to evolve but we have modern techniques with the science to do it fast. available today to be able to progress It will be a challenge to create and eliminate misinformation. the legal structure that will recog- A dependable center of nize the uniqueness of Northern information that was available to California’s regional heritage, as all would help bring the Hashishin well as protect our growers and

56 JUNE 2015 1 Tiered business licensing will ensure that the cost of a business license will be lower for smaller business so that they are not priced out the market place. It will also allow for small and specialty business to have additional market privileges, similar to craft brewers.

2 The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and other offi- cial product identification standards by Albert Celine, School of Higher Education in Agronomy of Dijon, September 1998, http://www.rural.org/publications/aoc.pdf

3 ibid

4 “A geographical name (as of a region, village, or vineyard) under which a winegrower is authorized to identify and market wine.” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appellation

5 “The environmental conditions, especially soil and climate, in which grapes are grown and that give a wine its unique flavor and aroma and/or the unique flavor and aroma of a wine that is attributed to the growing environment of the grapes.” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terroir

6 “(Physical Geography) a region having specific characteris- tics or containing certain types of plants or animals.” http://www.thefreedictionary.com/domain

7 Moroccan Parliament Eyes the Legalization of Cannabis Production by Alex Russell http://muftah.org/moroccan-parliament-eyes-legalization- cannabis-production/#.VIJJqothP0c

8 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30926714 http://www.ibtimes.com/jamaica-marijuana-legalization-first- caribbean-country-decriminalize-weed-1827650 http://blog.norml.org/2015/03/02/jamaica-ganja-decrimi- nalization-plan-finally-approved-by-parliament/

9 Translating terroir: the global challenge of French AOC labeling Elizabeth Barham, Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri, 204A Sociology Building, Columbia, MO 65211-1100, USA http://www.uky.edu/~tmute2/geography_methods/reading- PDFs/barnam_terroir.pdf