30-04-2025
Child who vaped the cannabinoid HHC 'tried to self-harm', Cork council told
A 12-year-old child in Clonakilty could not remember his mother's name while another had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital after vaping the cannabinoid HHC which is still legal here.
Details of the cases have been publicised amid pressure on minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to ban the sale of the vape called "Budtender" and follow legislation introduced in Britain and 17 EU states.
Cork County Council is contacting the minister after the issue was highlighted by Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse who was contacted by the parents of the children who live in the West Cork town.
'In one case a 12-year-old who'd got a vape from a teenager became completely out of it after vaping it and didn't know where he was or his mother's name. He spent 24 hours in CUH with symptoms so severe he was tested for opioid overdose.
Ms Towse said:
Another person in the same town was diagnosed with substance-induced psychosis following vaping HHC, had attempted to self-harm and required admission to the psychiatric unit in Bantry.
She said hospitalisation cases from using Budtender are emerging in increasing numbers all over the country.
'Vape shops are profiting massively on something that is proving to be dangerous, particularly for young people and those with pre-existing mental illness. It's far too easy for children and teens to get their hands on HHC,' Ms Towse said.
HHC has rapidly emerged on the European and Irish markets since 2022 and is sold predominantly in vape shops and in edible form. It's a man-made chemical developed from CBD. While both CBD and HHC are legal, CBD is natural and non-psychoactive, whereas HHC is artificial, and psychoactive.
In March, Ms Carroll MacNeill said she would bring legislation to government to ban HHC sales.
'But shops in West Cork and beyond continue to profit from something they morally should not be selling but will not stop because it is a high-earning product," said Ms Towse. "This delay is unacceptable. The HSE has been expressing concerns about HHC for well over a year now, and it is putting more pressure onto already stretched mental health and medical services.'
According to a leading addiction specialist, up to 25% of young people in Ireland being admitted to adolescent addiction services list HHC as a problem drug for them.
'As it's legal and sold in vape shops all over Ireland, it's too easy to access. I know the minister has committed to making it illegal, but we need to put the pressure on because we are already experiencing delays in terms of when the minister said they would bring it forward,' she added.
Independent councillor Patrick O'Donoghue said he had lived in British Columbia for 10 years and while there the authorities had decriminalised personal use, they then back-tracked because drug use got completely out of control. He said the minister needs to act now to safeguard young people from the impacts of vaping HHC.
