Public 'indifferent' to dangers of HHC use, health experts warn
Health experts are 'gobsmacked' by public indifference to the growth of a synthetic cannabinoid widely available in shops, which has been linked to psychotic incidents in teenagers.
The Irish Examiner has conducted test purchases of products containing hexahydrocannabinol, known as HHC, which has similar effects to cannabis and can be easily bought in shops in towns and villages across Ireland.
The products on sale include jelly edibles and vape products in a wide range of flavours.
Legislation is currently being drawn up to include the substance in the Misuse of Drugs Act, amid confusion about whether it is illegal to sell the product under previous legislation introduced in 2010.
Bobby Smyth, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical professor at Trinity College Dublin, said the dangers associated with HHC were highlighted a year and a half ago by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland but no action has been taken to tackle them.
Isobel Towse, a Social Democrats councillor in West Cork, recently outlined how a 12-year-old child in Clonakilty could not remember his mother's name, while another child had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital after vaping the cannabinoid.
HHC was also linked to an incident in Fermoy in 2023 in which four young people were hospitalised.
It is understood that up to a fifth of teenagers being treated in addiction services are there because of chemically modified cannabis products found in vapes and edibles, including HHC.
Prof Smyth said: 'This is not an emerging trend — it is an established problem that has gone on a shockingly long time with zero action.
'I am gobsmacked as to how indifferent the response to it has been from the powers-that-be.
The public seems to have other things on their mind, they are oblivious to this threat that exists on our high streets.
He said HCC 'is the main substance now in about a quarter of referrals' for adolescent addiction services.
'We are not clinically dealing with lots of young people developing psychosis but we are dealing with the aftermath of that.
'Those young people would not attend our services in the first instance. They get admitted to hospital and get treated there, and are then referred out to us for a bit of support helping avoid a return to HHC use.'
Consultant psychiatrist Colin O'Gara and head of addiction services at St John of God University Hospital, says issues with HHC are not restricted to young teens.
'From testimony from both patients and others, it is not uncommon for dinner parties. I have been told that a non drug- using cohort would have gummies in a middle-aged grouping because they see it as legal and see nothing wrong.
'The product is toxic and it is harmful, just like alcohol, just like substances, and just like gambling. Everybody is vulnerable to HHC.'
Plans are underway to include HHC on the list of controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act, but a clear timeline has not been provided.
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