Synthetic Cannabis Products Pose Public Risk, Warns Forensic Science Ireland In New Report

Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) released its latest annual report which revealed that cannabis and related cannabinoid products made up 42% of all cases analyzed by the agency in 2023.

In the report, FSI calls cannabis "the Wild West of the Drug Marketplace" saying it is "no longer a homogenous arena and is now a dynamically evolving space with ongoing rapid emergence of a dizzying array of synthetic cannabinoid products."

Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids Pose Public Risk

An analysis of 114 sweet cannabis products revealed that only 64% contained the assumed amount of THC – the main psychoactive substance in marijuana. The remaining 36% had a wide range of other synthetic cannabinoids such as MDMB-4en- Pinaca, ADB-Br-Butinaca, ADB-Butinaca, ADB-Pinaca, 5F-EDMB-Pica and HHC.

Hexahydrocannabinol or 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 Adams 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.

Read Also: Irish Doctors Against Cannabis Decriminalization, Say ‘It’s Anti-Health’: Government Proposes Nine-Month Vote Delay On Decrim Bill

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. Aside from bypassing the law, are there any other concerns with HHC?

"In November 2023 four teenagers became ill and were hospitalized after vaping – analysis of these vapes by FSI identified the presence of HHC," the report reads. Furthermore, the agency noted that adverse side effects from these attractively packaged and often mislabeled cannabis products are increasingly common.

Because of the brief history of HHC consumption, scientific studies about its safety and effects are limited, but more and more concerns are being brought to the public. In April 2023, EMCDD released a report warning consumers of the risks of highly concentrated HHC.

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

FSI concluded that these products "remain a significant risk to the public with ongoing vigilant monitoring of emerging trends required."

Dr Bobby Smyth, child psychiatrist and addiction specialist told Newstalk Breakfast that HHC-infused products are prevalent in shops selling vapes and e-cigarettes. He warned of some reports linking HHC products to psychosis and called for closing the loophole in the law that enables its sale.

“It’s a bit of a loophole in that it’s not in the Misuse of Drugs Act,” he said.

The FSI also reported that cocaine is the most commonly identified stimulant and the second most commonly identified compound after cannabis.

Read Next:

• UCLA Scientists Develop New And Safer Method Enabling Production Of More Potent HHC Products
• Efforts To Ban Semi-Synthetic ‘Legal’ Cannabis Growing Across Europe

Photo: Benzinga edit with images from Wikimedia Commons and 2H Media on Unsplash

Get Benzinga's exclusive analysis and the top news about the cannabis industry and markets daily in your inbox for free. Subscribe to our newsletter here. If you're serious about the business, you can't afford to miss out.