Public 'indifferent' to dangers of HHC use, health experts warn
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
20 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'It's frightening': Irish woman in Madrid warns of heatstroke risk as temperatures soar in Europe
An Irish woman living in Madrid has said the heat this summer has been "unlike anything I've ever experienced", describing how her son ended up in hospital with heatstroke. As wildfires continue to burn across mainland Europe, with temperatures reaching up to 44C in some areas, Laura O'Reilly has told the Irish Examiner of her experience in the Spanish capital. The Dublin woman said some of the fires have come "surprisingly close" to populated areas - including parts of Madrid's outskirts. "In June, there was a fire near Toledo about an hour's drive away. I was walking in the centre of Madrid, near El Prado, and there was a huge plume of smoke plus ashes falling from the sky. Locally, people are very aware and cautious. "Firefighters are working around the clock, and there's a real sense of urgency and solidarity. It's frightening but also impressive to see how communities come together in these emergencies," she said. Recently, Ms O'Reilly's son had to be brought to the emergency department after suffering from a heatstroke. "Heatstroke is extremely dangerous. My son suffered one while playing basketball," she said. "Unfortunately, he drank a lot of water to cool down, not a good idea. He started to vomit so much that he tore some soft tissue and then started to bleed. A tube was put down his throat as his stomach was filling up with blood," she recalled. Coming from Ireland, she said the whole experience has been eye-opening. "Back home, climate change often feels like a distant issue, something we talk about for the future. But here in Madrid, with record-breaking temperatures and visible wildfires, it feels immediate and personal. It's made me realise how climate change is affecting different parts of the world in very different ways, and how urgent the need for action really is. While the situation is worrying, Ms O'Reilly said it was been inspiring to see how resilient people can be. "From firefighters to neighbours checking in on each other, it shows that even in difficult times, community and care can make a real difference. I hope this summer will be a wake-up call for all of us about the realities of climate change." To help with the heat, she shared a few tips. "I soak my T-shirt and hair before going outside. I also half freeze a bottle of water to place on the back of my neck to help me cool down, and to drink. Plus, I bring a spray bottle of water and I walk in the shade whenever possible," she said. "Even walking short distances can feel exhausting, and there's a real concern for people vulnerable to heatstroke. Sleeping is very difficult. The intense heat also makes the air feel heavy and dry, which only adds to the risk of wildfires."
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
xxonline ready
Opioid painkillers are 'not being given out like smarties' by medics but an increase in their use likely reflects a failing health system, a leading addiction counselor said. The Irish Examiner reported recently of a 25% rise in opioid use and a 50% increase in medication containing oxycodone, medications which can be highly addictive. 'Inevitably, where you have a 50% increase in the prescription of something like oxycodone, you're going to have a corresponding but not necessarily proportional increase of cases presenting to addiction services because opioids are addictive,' addiction counsellor Michael Guerin said. 'The root cause of this increase is most likely a failing health system exacerbated by a period of time of nearly two years during the pandemic where no elective surgeries were done and where hospital capacity was basically taken out of action to cater for patients who were suffering from covid." Addiction to opioid pain killing medication "is something that has been on our radar for years," Mr Guerin said. 'It can start with something as innocent as Neurofen Plus. 'But we haven't necessarily seen a spike [in need for addiction services] that would correspond with the 50% increase in prescribing.' A new study which included UCC academics found that Irish people use far more pain medication than patients in England. Long waiting lists for orthopaedic care, such as knee operations, can leave people with severe chronic pain 'potentially waiting several years to be considered for joint replacement surgery' and relying on medication in the meantime, the study team warned. Medicines given to patients with medical cards in Ireland between 2014 and 2022 were examined in the research. Mr Guerin said that GPs are both responsible and very well aware of the ramifications of prescribing medication like oxycodone or any opioid-based painkiller. 'But when they have a patient presenting with chronic pain long-term due to the fact that they either have a chronic condition or are awaiting some sort of surgery or intervention that there is an inordinately long waiting list for, the doctor has a moral and human responsibility to alleviate that suffering. 'If you take something like oxycodone over a period of time you would certainly become dependent on it and if you are somebody who is predisposed to being addicted, you will become addicted. 'They are traded, not to any great extent, but they have been encountered in the black market. And they're something that people need to be very wary of." Doctors are prescribing them "as a very last line of defence," Mr Guerin said. Some 10,000 Americans now die every year from opioid overdoses, many of whose addictions were sparked by poor prescribing practices for Oxycontin, he said. 'I don't think we have a situation with prescribed opioids anything like that here but I suppose there is the danger if somebody is prescribed something like that that they could potentially graduate [to something stronger] or supplement it with over-the-counter opioids." And supplementing with over-the-counter opioids like Nurofen Plus and Solpadine is extremely damaging because such high volumes of the tablets are taken to get enough codeine (an opioid) to quell the craving, he said. 'So people can end up with all sorts of problems with their internal organs – liver, kidneys, GI tract, stomach, bowels - they can end up with all sorts of problems."
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Cork woman Catherine O'Leary dies after living with locked-in syndrome for 15 years
A woman diagnosed with a rare syndrome in 2008 that left her aware and awake but unable to move or communicate has died. Catherine O'Leary of Carrigaline, Cork, was 32 years old when a stroke during surgery to remove a brain tumour caused locked-in syndrome. Her family confirmed on the Catherine O'Leary Facebook page that the mother of one passed away peacefully this morning. 'It is with great sadness that our beloved Catherine passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by family. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.' When Catherine was first diagnosed, she spent time in a high-dependency unit at Cork University Hospital (CUH) before flying to a rehabilitative facility in Putney, UK, for treatment. She initially responded well to rehabilitation at the Royal Hospital for Disabilities in Putney. However, in October 2008, she stopped breathing and fell into a deep coma. Doctors told her family there was little or no hope. However, she regained consciousness and was subsequently flown back to CUH. Catherine remained a patient at CUH for another four years. She spent a year and a half as a full-time resident in Farranlee House Community Nursing Unit in Cork before returning home to Carrigaline in September 2014. Catherine required 24-hour care, communicated only by blinking, and was fed through a tube. In 2013, her father Pat and his family took the HSE to court on Catherine's behalf, claiming a late brain tumour diagnosis at CUH caused her condition. The HSE denied these claims. The O'Leary family received a settlement of €2.5m following the High Court battle with the HSE. Catherine O'Leary and her son Brandon from the Catherine O'Leary Facebook page Pat O'Leary previously told the Irish Examiner that Catherine's decline began with persistent hiccups in 2005. She couldn't shake them off. They became so persistent she was referred to a clinic at CUH. Mr O'Leary said, 'they kept putting it down to reflux in her stomach.' By November 2007, after losing weight and suffering serious headaches, Catherine demanded a brain scan. Mr O'Leary told the Irish Examiner in 2013 that the scan found a non-cancerous tumour on her brain stem. 'We knew at the start, from what the neurologist said, it was going to be a difficult operation... Where the actual tumour was, it was on the brain stem. It was affecting all her organs, her eating, her movements — she would have been dead in three weeks otherwise.' Mr O'Leary and his wife Margaret campaigned tirelessly for their daughter. The family created a GoFundMe page in 2021 to raise funds for a new vital signs monitor to replace an obsolete model that was damaging her fingers. Doctors' grim prognosis that Catherine would not live beyond 10 years formed the basis of the damages settlement. But that award — which effectively predicted Catherine would die before 2017 — didn't account for her battling spirit, which saw her exceed all medical expectations. In 2018, Mr O'Leary told Primetime on RTÉ that people often asked if they could communicate with Catherine. 'People say 'does she understand you? We are there. We are talking to her as if she understands everything. But I mean there is a certain amount of interaction. When she wakes up she looks at the ceiling and sees all her lovely photographs of her son and herself and you would see her smiling and her eyes travelling around the ceiling looking.' He described his daughter as a 'fighter' and cared for her until the end. Funeral arrangements will be finalised in the coming days for Ms O'Leary.
