''Marihuana prensada'' or ''cannabis prensado'' (pressed cannabis or marijuana), also known as ''ladrillo'' (

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

weed) or, colloquially, ''paragua'' or ''paraguayo'' is a compressed

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

cut into blocks that facilitate transport. The largest producer of pressed marijuana is

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

, and from there it is exported to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Other names for this product are ''soko'', ''doko'', ''paraplex macoña'', ''pasto'', ''faso'', ''chamico'', ''enramao'', ''presso'', ''paragua'' or ''Paraguayan brick''.

Production

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In Paraguay, cannabis cultivation occurs mainly in the departments of

Alto Paraná The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

Amambay Amambay () is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Pedro Juan Caballero. The name comes from the name of a part of the Caaguazú Cordillera, " Amambai Mountains". Amambay is the name of a fern, typical of the forest in the region. Distri ...

, Caaguazú,

Caazapá Caazapá () is a city in Paraguay, founded in 1607, by Friar Luis de Bolaños. It is located in the Caazapá District and is the capital of the Caazapá Department. The name Caazapá comes from the Guarani words "Ka'aguy jehasapa" which means "a ...

, Canindeyú, Concepción, Itapúa and San Pedro. To make pressed bricks, marijuana is harvested, allowed to dry, and compressed in a hydraulic press.

Adulterated brick weed

Sometimes brick weed is adulterated with other binding substances including industrial glues such as

Neoprene Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion R ...

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

, petroleum-derived

hydrocarbons In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

, dog food or even human or animal excrement. to make it cheaper, thus being of poorer quality. Its use is strongly discouraged due to the contamination and toxicity of adulterants.

Low quality cannabis

People involved in the production of pressed marijuana often have little or no knowledge about cannabis cultivation, so, during the process, large amounts of trichomes (the most psychoactive part) are wasted, while leaves, stems and seeds are included, which should be avoided. Little care is taken when the branches are left in the sun to dry them; As they are stacked on top of each other, moisture is retained and certain parts begin to rot, parts that will be negligently incorporated into the final product. In some cases, marihuana prensada contains no marijuana, but grass. Despite its poor quality, its use is widely spread among the lower classes throughout

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Use

Although cannabis can be found in foods, beverages, cosmetics, etc., ''marihuana prensada'' is exclusively smoked in the form of a cigarette ( joint).

Health risks

''Marihuana prensada'' is the most harmful derivative of marijuana, being more toxic than natural marijuana. It is difficult to determine the effects on the human body because its ingredients vary greatly depending on who makes it. In addition, at customs crossings at international borders, it is remixed with other products to mask the smell of cannabis. The combustion of petroleum and mineral tar increases the risk of cancer in the respiratory tract. Neoprene, a glue considered a drug, contributes to further addiction to the product, especially if it contains

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...

. In addition to serious neurodegenerative damage, it can also damage vital organs such as the liver, heart or brain, affecting cognitive function.

References

{{Cannabis Preparations of cannabis Cannabis in Argentina Cannabis in Brazil Adulteration