Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue. This is an incredibly important issue. It is about HHC and HHC vapes in particular, their prevalence in Ireland, the damage they are causing, the harm they are doing to individuals, especially young people, and the damage they are causing to relationships and particularly families right across Ireland. It is a scourge on our nation and we really need to nip it in the bud.

It is important to outline HHC is a semi-synthetic form of cannabis which is available in these vapes, but there is a big difference between it and cannabis because we know the impacts of cannabis. We know the effects it has on people. Some people describe a relaxed feeling when they have cannabis and that they feel chilled. Some people feel a high. However, we also know there is a psychosis associated with cannabis and a certain percentage of people who take cannabis. That is well-known, well-researched and well-advertised. It is something we know a lot about and therefore people are quite aware of the risks if they go down that route. HHC is like a silent assassin. The impacts it has on people's mental health are not yet widely known. The psychosis element and the connection with psychotic episodes is still not widely known.

I again stress it is young people in particular who are taking these products through vapes, which are widely available, and it is causing havoc. It is perceived as harmless, but though in dosage terms it is maybe half as powerful or whatever as cannabis, because it is in a vape form and people tend to take regular doses over the course of a day, they are getting a bigger load of this HHC and, therefore, it is having a bigger impact. I will give a perfect example of what I mean by that. In a recent Irish study there is pretty concrete evidence of the link between psychotic episodes and taking HHC. In one instance, one of the individuals taking it was a habitual cannabis user and had never had a psychotic episode when taking cannabis. He switched to HHC vapes and after that the psychosis began, the visions began and he began to experience psychotic episodes. The theory behind that is because it was so much more available he was taking it at a much higher dose. This is happening throughout Ireland as people are seeing this as quite a harmless drug, while the impacts are far greater. This stuff creeps up on people and on kids in particular.

These vapes are being sold to kids under 18. They should not be, but it is happening and that is possibly a different issue. Kids are still getting their hands on these because they are widely available in shops and not just vape shops, but shops of all different types. It is causing kids to be withdrawn and to be withdrawn from their families and their friends. They take it because they think they are going to be chilled and it will maybe take the edge off, but it is causing massive problems within their friendship circles and their lives. It is causing anxiety and depression. This is not just being flagged by me but by addiction treatment centres because they are seeing this train coming down the line at speed and we are not ready to deal with it. It is being flagged by CAMHS. It is being flagged by those who are dealing with adolescents and young people with mental health issues. This is coming fast. We need to regulate and bring it under the control of drugs Act. We need to move fast. It has already been flagged as a problem drug by the HSE, but it is too available. We need to stamp it out and ensure it does not do any further damage.

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