In Madrid, your hashish is literally full of $h!t: study

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
image

In France, where hashish rolled with tobacco is more commonly smoked than flower, the former is colloquially referred to as le shit. Turns out that might be a more apt description than previously thought.

  • Real bummer! Medical weed can help you work hard until you die: study
  • Marijuana study: THC could have more medical value than CBD
  • Coffee might be reverse-weed for your brain: study

In a study of cannabis resins sold on the illicit market in Madrid, researchers found that a significant quantity of samples tested positive for traces of Aspergillus fungus and E.coli bacteria.

Universidad Complutense pharmacologist José Manuel Moreno Pérez collected the drug samples directly from pushers in and around the city, with the intent of analyzing the samples to see how many would be fit for human consumption.

The study, published in Forensic Science International, found that the resins most contaminated with fecal matter were the samples of hashish contained in small plastic “acorns,” as they are reportedly smuggled across borders by humans internally.

1a GettyImages 661896226 e1554401135831 In Madrid, your hashish is literally full of $h!t: study

In a study of cannabis resins sold on the illicit market in Madrid, researchers found that a significant quantity of samples tested positive for traces of Aspergillus fungus and E.coli bacteria.

Worse, about 40 percent of those actively smelled like feces, according to the lead author of the study.

Scientists studied a total of 90 samples.

It is illegal to import, purchase or sell cannabis in Spain, although residents may grow cannabis at home for their own personal use under a certain set of conditions that ban public consumption and dictate that plants must be hidden from public view.

Results of the study indicated that:

  • 93% of the “acorn” samples were found to contain dangerous levels of E.coli
  • 10% of the samples were found to contain Aspergillus fungus
  • 88.3% of samples were deemed unsuitable for human consumption

While clearly disgusting, the study’s results suggest that the result is adequately concerning that illicit hashish should be considered an issue of public health.

Infections due to E.coli bacteria and Aspergillus can cause illnesses in healthy individuals, and complications that can prove fatal in patients with compromised immune systems, such as those receiving chemotherapy.

 

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis?  Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.