After five days of intense discussions on global drug policy, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has decided to place five new psychoactive substances and one medicine under international control. This was done following recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO). These substances include hexahydrocannabinol, also known as HHC called, a semi-synthetic cannabinoid widely used in vapes and edibles.
HHC was the only substance of the six to be placed under Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, meaning it now shares the same category with cannabis and methamphetamine.
Classification of HHC allows for regulation
This classification is reserved for substances that are considered moderately addictive and prone to abuse, but which still have a potential medical use.
Effectively, this means that HHC is now banned in all UN member states, which are now required to implement strict regulations on its distribution and production. Governments must now license and regulate all activities involving HHC, including production, trade, import and export. Research institutions and medical professionals can legally use it for research purposes, but law enforcement agencies must now criminalize unauthorized possession, production or sale, with penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences.
All countries present at the session voted in favor of the new categorization, with the exception of the United States. Given the ongoing problems the U.S. has with the spread of intoxicating hemp substances and the lack of federal regulation, this was notable.
In a brief statement, US officials said the substance was already "under control in the United States" at levels that allow it to meet international obligations.
This statement is questionable, as HHC is not explicitly mentioned in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). While individual states have banned HHC and other synthetic cannabinoids, their federal legality remains open to interpretation under the Farm Bill.
Synthetic cannabinoids
According to the latest European Web Survey on Drugs 2024, updated on 25 February 2025, synthetic cannabinoids now rank as the seventh most commonly used drugs in the EU, along with ketamine, with 14% of the 61.732 respondents reporting having used it in the past 12 months.
The CND voted in favour of banning HHC following a recommendation from the WHO, which stated that it poses a risk to public health and has no recognised therapeutic use, although this is partly due to the lack of research into the substance.
The WHO noted that HHC exhibits similar behavioral responses to delta-9-THC in animals and that in humans, drowsiness, euphoria, anxiety, agitation, psychosis, tremor and disorientation were reported, in addition to respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal effects.
Its effect on CB1 receptors suggests that it may produce a similar dependence as delta-9-THC. There is sufficient evidence that hexahydrocannabinol is being used in a way that poses a problem to public health and society, justifying its placement under international control.
International reactions to the HHC ban
One exception in the global backlash against HHC and other emerging synthetic cannabinoids is the Czech Republic. Under a new law largely designed to regulate these substances, HHC is classified as “under evaluation,” meaning the substance is being studied to evaluate its safety.
The law, which is being described as “revolutionary” by its proponents, is intended to regulate a wide range of substances that do not pose a serious risk to public health or have a serious social impact on individuals or society. This goes against the almost unanimous international stance on HHC.
Genetically modify
The problem lies in the way HHC is produced. Today, HHC is usually produced from hemp plants with low THC content. By chemically converting CBD from hemp into THC and then into HCC, the current law can be circumvented.
Source: businessofcannabis.com
