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Ireland: Call to ban distribution and sale of semi-synthetic cannabis Eithne Dodd RTE Tuesday 17 Sep 2024 The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has warned that the Government must act urgently to ban the distribution and sale of a semi-synthetic cannabis drug. Hexahydrocannabinol, known as HHC, is a man-made drug chemically similar to the active ingredient in cannabis, THC. THC is a natural cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant that causes the drug's "high". HHC is a new cannabis substitute that can cause severe psychosis and its harms have led to an "explosion" of addiction presentations in Ireland, the College of Psychiatrists has said. Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Professor Bobby Smyth said that the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has only been aware of HHC for around a year in Ireland. However, HHC already features as a component in a "platter of poly-drug use" in about 20% of all presentations to adolescent addiction services in Ireland. "Very often in combination with cannabis itself," Prof Smyth added. Prof Smyth compared the legality of HHC to the so-called "head shops" that appeared in Ireland 15 years ago due to a legal loophole. "In the short time that they bypassed the law, the products sold in head shops caused a huge amount of damage, primarily to young people," Prof Smyth said. "We are seeing a similar trend now with HHC. "The Government’s job is simple, it must enforce the laws we currently have as sale of psychoactive drugs such as HHC and similar compounds is prohibited under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010. This act allows for people and businesses selling HHC to be prosecuted," he said. The long-term consequences of HHC are not known, he said. "It generally takes decades for the medical community to figure out long-term consequences of new substances," Prof Smyth added. "Over the past 20 years, we have seen the strength of cannabis rise, leading to an increase in mental illness among users. "We know anecdotally that people can experience even more intense reactions from HHC and we have seen cases of HHC-induced psychosis in Ireland, which is particularly worrying," he said. "The public need to know that just because a substance is sold in a shop, in fancy packaging, for human consumption, it does not mean that it is safe or tested in any meaningful way. "Until proven otherwise, we should work on the assumption that HHC products are going cause the same mix of problems which we see with cannabis," Prof Smyth said. In a statement, the Department of Health said HHC was reported as a drug of concern by the HSE "due to the potential impact of using this substance on young people's mental health including the possible link with psychosis". It added it intends to "subject HHC to control measures and is working with the HSE to prepare the evidence base necessary to domestically subject the substance to control measures". https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0917/1470410-semi-synthetic-cannabis-hhc/
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