The Government has declared the synthetic cannabinoid HHC, or Hexahydrocannabinol, as an illegal drug, reports RTE.
This means that any activity involving products containing the artificial compound—such as importing, exporting, producing, possessing, selling, or supplying—is now prohibited.
HHC, along with 13 additional substances, has been officially designated as a Schedule 1 controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, reports RTE.
In a statement, the Department of Health said: “The semi-synthetic cannabinoid has similar effects to cannabis and has been commonly sold as e-cigarettes or vape pens, in herbal mixtures, oils, edible jellies and cakes and as tinctures. Since it was first detected in Ireland in 2022, it has been linked with episodes of psychosis and hospitalisation. A recent study by researchers in University Hospital Galway (UHG) found that HHC was the second most common drug used by patients presenting with psychosis over a 21-month period,” reports RTE.
This update follows warnings from the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland earlier this month, which said it “beggars belief” that products with HHC remained on sale without regulation.
The college said HHC has had a severe impact on mental health.
It mimics the psychoactive effects of THC—the primary intoxicating component in cannabis, reports RTE.
HHC is “one of 14 new substances, including synthetic opioids and semi-synthetic cannabinoids, that have been newly classified as controlled drugs,” the Department of Health said in its statement.
“This follows their identification by the EU and by the UN Commission for Narcotic Drugs as posing a serious risk to public health,” reports RTE.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill stated: “The sale of HHC as vapes, in attractive packaging, or in edible jelly form, is a marketing ploy aimed at young people, which masks the fact that this drug is harmful for youth mental health and can be addictive.
“Our priority is to advance measures that enable us to protect and support the health of our population,” reports RTE.
The Chair of the Addiction Faculty at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland expressed frustration over how long it took to prohibit HHC.
Professor Bobby Smyth, who also serves as Clinical Professor of Public Health and Primary Care at Trinity College Dublin, pointed out that many other European countries had already banned the substance months earlier, reports RTE.
He told RTÉ’s News at One that the concern now is what happens next.
“How quickly can vape shops take HHC off the shelves and replace it with something similar but different?”
Given HHC’s presence in Ireland for several years, he warned that some users may have developed a preference for it, increasing the likelihood that demand will shift to comparable alternatives, reports RTE.
The inclusion of HHC under the Misuse of Drugs Acts enhances gardả۪s enforcement powers in tackling illegal drug trade.
Prof Smyth questioned why such substances were not handled under the Psychoactive Substances Act, which had successfully shut down so-called headshops in Ireland that had previously switched to legal alternatives whenever individual substances were outlawed, reports RTE.
He described the act as the “final nail in the coffin” for the headshops.
“Ultimately, I’m a doctor,” Prof Smyth said, and “I saw fewer psychotic patients after headshops were banned and I want to see this happen again,” reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
