Finland is one of a number of EU countries that have banned products containing HHC, a cannabis derivative that is in a legal gray area. The cannabinoid is immensely popular but raises concerns among regulatory authorities.
According to Katja Pihlainen, senior inspector at the Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea), HHC products have spread to at least 20 EU countries, including Finland, in the past six months.
HHC as a replacement for THC
Hexahydrocannabinol is marketed as having similar psychoactive effects to THC. The process of making the fabric has been known since the 40s, but its popularity has only recently come to the attention of European regulators.
Pihlainen noted that the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and member state agencies are concerned about the emergence of HHC products on the market. According to the EMCDDA, a number of EU-based retailers will have started selling it by the end of 2022.
“The derivative is openly sold as a 'legal' substitute for THC and cannabis. It's about hemp, edibles or other products like vapes. In the marketing communications, the comparison is made with THC and cannabis.” According to Pihlainen, very little is known about it. The psychoactive effect is apparently similar to that of THC, but the broader effects are unknown.
“Burning it or vaporizing it can make it more harmful. We don't know how it affects the body. ” Another problem is that there is no quality control for products containing this substance During the manufacturing process, unknown chemicals may remain or be added to the products that can be harmful. Pihlainen noted that it is also unclear where HHC products sold in the European market are actually made.
Commercial production
Although the recipe for making Hexahydrocannabinol has been known since the 40s, its commercialization is a recent phenomenon. HHC is chemically derived from cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from industrial hemp. It is therefore considered a semi-synthetic cannabinoid.
Pihlainen added that its commercial production began in the United States after the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp containing up to 0,3 percent THC. North America has also seen a surge in cannabis legalization over the past decade, with Canada, Mexico, and some US states decriminalizing its cultivation, as well as its recreational and medicinal use.
The law change in 2018 revolutionized US hemp policy and brought some new innovations to the industry. Some hemp entrepreneurs outside the US also became interested in HHC. Pihlainen noted that HHC was marketed because some companies were trying to find loopholes and make money off it. If you want to ban or regulate it, all countries have to do it separately.
Ban on HHC
In January, Finland classified it as a psychoactive substance banned for sale on the consumer market. That classification prohibits the manufacture, import, sale, transfer and storage. However, the use and possession of such substances is not yet prohibited under current Finnish law.
In practice, this was a step towards designating HHC as an illegal drug. More and more HHC products are found during import checks by Finnish customs. These include, for example, hemp oils, vapes and edibles. These products are on the borderline of legality. Even if they are made from industrial hemp, THC is often found in them.
According to Pihlainen, some other EU countries have also taken steps to ban HHC. For example, Estonia has already classified HHC as an illegal drug. In Sweden, online stores r still sell HHC products. According to Pihlainen, Sweden has also started a process to ban HHC.
According to the EU drug agency EMCDDA, the arrival of HHC and similar semi-synthetic cannabinoids on the market could mark the first major change in the market for “legal” cannabis substitutes in more than 15 years.
The recent prevalence of HHC is somewhat similar to the rising popularity of fully synthetic cannabis products, such as spice. Initially, these synthetic variants evaded drug laws because they were new, but EU member states responded by banning them.
Source: yle.fi (EN)
