Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question, which is on a very important issue. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Health.

I will open with an explanation of what HHC is and its current legal position. Tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis. It is a Schedule 1 controlled drug in the Misuse of Drugs Regulations and is subject to the strictest of controls. Hexahydrocannabinol, HHC, is a derivative of tetrahydrocannabinol, but it not a Schedule-controlled drug. It is a naturally-occurring cannabinoid that has rarely been identified as a trace component in cannabis sativa, but can also be produced synthetically by hydrogenation of cannabis extracts. HHC was first identified in Europe in May 2022, which is not that long ago, and was put under intensive monitoring at the end of 2022 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA. It is the first semi-synthetic cannabinoid reported in the EU and has been monitored as a new psychoactive substance by the EU early warning system since October 2022.

Early warning in Ireland is co-ordinated by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA, national focal point and the early warning and emerging trends working group chaired by the Department of Health. EWET continues to monitor the emergence and use of this substance in Ireland, which I hope will reassure the Deputy somewhat. HHC has been reported as a drug of concern by the HSE and, as the Deputy mentioned, adolescent service providers. HHC can be contained in vaping products, as he mentioned. There is growing concern about the potential impact of using this substance on young people's mental health, including, as he also mentioned, the possible link with psychosis. Young people report adverse effects such as loss of consciousness after use, and the Deputy mentioned the possible link between that and psychotic episodes.

The HSE will add content about HHC to its website drugs.ie. Evidence as regards harms associated with HHC will be carefully monitored and appropriate responses will be considered. The HSE will continue to liaise with the EMCDDA and the early warning and emerging trends group for further direction on this substance. This is an area currently being monitored by the HSE and the EU drug agency as there is limited information on the health impact of this substance to date.

With regard to synthetic cannabinoids, the HSE has comprehensive harm reduction information about the substances available on its website drugs.ie. The HSE also issued an alert regarding cannabis edibles contaminated with synthetic cannabinoids earlier this year.

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