Efforts To Ban Semi-Synthetic 'Legal' Cannabis Growing Across Europe

For some time now, the chemical similarities between cannabis and hemp have made developing a regulatory framework for these plants and compounds quite a challenge, to say the least.

Thanks to cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient found in both marijuana and hemp that does not produce psychoactive effects and is purported to have myriad health benefits, hemp has been widely embraced. Hemp, which became legal in the U.S. under the 2018 Farm Bill, is defined as containing 0.3% or less THC (the compound that produces a psychoactive effect) by dry weight. It seems that lawmakers were not counting on the expertise of chemists who would use compounds found in legal hemp to make compounds that are similar to THC, which is illegal in many states and countries.

While the controversy around one such component, delta-8 THC, has been largely covered by the media, another known as HHC, or semi-synthetic cannabis is beginning to raise concerns.

What Is HHC?

Chemically known as 11-Nor-9β-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol, HHC is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid and a hydrogenated form of THC. It was first manufactured in 1944 by the American chemist Roger Adams. To produce HHC, Adams added hydrogen molecules to delta-9 THC, converting it to tetrahydrocannabinol (HHC). While Admas used THC from cannabis, today’s chemists are using legal THC from hemp as a way of bypassing the law and offering psychoactive products to buyers.

According to the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), HHC emerged in late 2021 in the U.S. and gained popularity in Europe in 2022. Apart from bypassing the law, is there a problem with HHC? 

‘Synthetic Drugs Have Greater Clinical Effects’

Joëlle Micallef, a pharmacology professor says consumers should beware.

“Synthetic drugs always have much greater clinical effects in humans than the molecule itself," Micallef said in a French radio interview reported by Euro News Next.  

Sellers of HHC products claim it provides euphoric sensations, but also mental and physical relaxation. HHC can be found in the form of dried flowers, resins, oils, and vaping concentrates. Some health experts are concerned people can get addicted to it, and demand regulations.

“Contaminations either with extraction residues or synthetic by-products could pose unforeseen risks,” Rachel Christie, of the EMCDDA, told Euro News Next. “Traces of heavy metals originating from the catalyst used for the hydrogenation might also be present.”

Because of the brief history of HHC consumption, scientific studies about its safety and effects are limited. However, it is essential to note that even so, early data suggest “it may have abuse liability and dependence potential in humans,” Christie said.

This April, EMCDD released a report warning consumers of the risks of highly concentrated HHC.

“As of 31 March 2023, identifications of HHC had been reported by 20 EU Member States and Norway. At the time of writing the report, HHC was not controlled in most European countries and is not scheduled under the 1961 and 1971 UN Conventions,” the report reads.

The HHC sellers are using this legal loophole to advertise the products as “legal” THC, a “legal” spliff, etc. making the products more appealing to young people.

“Since October 2022, the EMCDDA has received reports of around 50 seizures of products containing HHC through the EWS, amounting to some 70 kg and almost 100 liters of material. While most of these were small-scale, three large seizures in Italy, Poland, and Germany suggest a potentially larger trade,” the report notes.

Unfortunately, the data gathered from the Internet indicates HHC consumption is probably “much greater than suggested by seizures reported so far,” Christie noted.

More and more countries are beginning to ban HHC products, with Estonia being the first, writes Business of Cannabis. Switzerland and Finland have also done similar, while France's Minister of Health, François Braun announced in May that HHC will soon be declared illegal. Denmark and Czechia are also in the process of forbidding HHC-based products.

Photo: Courtesy of Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash