Teen high on HHC ‘didn’t know his mother’s name’

County councillors have called for a dangerous new manmade cannabinoid to be made illegal as soon as possible.

The call comes following a motion by Social Democrat councillor Isobel Towse to ban the substance known as HHC, a semi-synthetic cannabinoid sold in vape shops and by other vendors.

As well as in vape form, it can often be found in gummy form and in baked goods like brownies. Though made using elements of CBD, which is non-psychoactive, HHC is a psychoactive substance, meaning it can alter brain function.

Cllr Towse said she was contacted by two set of parents of children who had been hospitalised in “quite severe” circumstances after vaping the substance. The specific vape product in both cases was called Budtender.

She said that in one case in West Cork, “a 12 year old who accessed the vape through an older teen became completely out of it after vaping it – didn’t know where he was or his mother’s name and had 24 hours in CUH with symptoms so severe he was tested for opioid overdose”.

She added that another person in the region a few weeks ago was “diagnosed with substance induced psychosis following vaping HHC and had attempted to self-harm and required admission to the psychiatric unit in Bantry Hospital”.

HHC, which became popular on the market around 2022, was banned in the UK in June 2023 and has been banned in 17 European countries in recent years.

Cllr Towse’s motion calls for the drug to be immediately added to the list of Schedule 1 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs legislative framework which would make any possession and/or sale and supply of the drug a criminal offence.

Responding to parliamentary questions last month, Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, said that legislation has been drafted to make the drug strictly illegal and is expected to be brought to Government shortly.

“It’s far too easy for children and teens to get their hands on HHC,” continued Ms Towse. “The Minister said it is expected that the legislation will be brought forward to Government in the coming week but that was over a month ago now and shops in West Cork and beyond continue to profit from something they morally should not be selling,” she said.

Supporting Cllr Towse’s motion, Social Democrat councillor Ann Bambury said called for a prevention campaign around HCC similar to a campaign known as ‘Talk To Frank’ in the UK.

“HHC should be urgently classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance,” said Cllr Bambury.

“This discussion underscores the need for regulatory and health care system reforms to protect vulnerable populations, particularly young people,” she added.

According to the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (CPsychI), HHC now features as a component part in approximately 20% of all presentations to adolescent addiction services in Ireland.

Professor Bobby Smyth, Specialist Consultant Child & Adolescent Addiction Psychiatrist and Chair, CPsychI Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, said: “The explosion in HHC-related addiction presentations among adolescents has been extraordinary over such a short period of time.”

Dr Smyth compared the legality of HHC with that of head shops approximately 15 years ago. He said: “In the short time that they bypassed the law, the products sold in head shops caused a huge amount of damage, primarily to young people. We are seeing a similar trend now with HHC.”

Cllr Towse said: “The motivation for my motion is to speed up the classification of HHC as Schedule 1 for sale and supply, to stop it being so easily accessible given it's prevalence and the high levels of harm experienced by young people in particular.

“HHC is very different to cannabis which the Social Democrats believe should be examined for legalisation and regulation, and should be more widely available under an expanded Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme.”

“Ultimately we need to decriminalise the possession of all drugs for personal consumption and pursue a health-based approach to drug addiction. The sale of certain drugs however, should remain illegal, and HHC needs to be added to that list," Ms Towse concluded.