The low quality form of hashish is known in the British Isles as soap bar. It is usually hard, low in potency and has a strange taste. There exist several myths about the origin of this type of hash. Robert Connell Clarke claims in his book Hashish, that soap is low-quality Moroccan hash containg only about one tenth of Cannabis pollen and lots of leaves and other waste plant material. The mixture is hard to bind together, so it's mixed with bee's wax or pine resin and condensed milk. Brownish color is due to henna or instant coffee being mixed in. Turpentine is also added to give more resinous look.

Such a dangerous product exists because cannabis is illegal in the UK, and much of the supply is in the hands of criminals. Those people are not concerned with the health of their customers. This type of hazardous hash is produced and sold solely to make big profits. It is widely spread across Europe. In Finland this low-quality stuff is known as "PL" or "peruslätkä", standard hash. In France it is called "Chernobyl".

'Good' quality or real hashish can be made by extracting a maximum of 3.5 kg of resin from 100 kg of cannabis plants. This resin will easily form into bars without the need for chemical additives. Poor quality soap is made by extracting up to 6 kg of resin/plant material from the cannabis. This mix of resin and cellulose plant material will not bind together unless an additive is used. Solder Flux is the most commonly used additive in Morocco. PCP or opium are never used in Morocco, because they are not available and they would be worth far more than the resulting hash. (The sum of the parts would equal more than the value of the whole!) Moroccan soap bar in the UK in 1995 cost up to £2400 per kilo. In 2005 the price has dropped to around £500 per kilo. Meanwhile pure hashish commands a much greater price.

External links

• Smoke soap = smoke poison
• How to judge hash quality
• UK forum on soap bar