Teenagers being treated for 'severe psychosis' from synthetic cannabis in vapes and edibles
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A fifth of teens being treated in addiction services are there because of chemically modified cannabis-products found in vapes and edibles.
The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland says the use of HHC — hexahydrocannabinol — is leaving young men in particular with severe psychoses and needing months in hospital to recover.
The college has now urged the Government to ban distribution and sale of HHC, which at present is not subject to legal restrictions here because it is not a controlled substance.
Professor Bobby Smyth, the college’s Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry chairman, said: “The explosion in HHC-related addiction presentations among adolescents has been extraordinary over such a short period of time.
HHC is available in vapes — also known as e-cigarettes — and edibles which can include gummy-bears or cake. It is a chemically modified or semi-synthetic version of a natural cannabinoid found in cannabis, with effects similar to THC in cannabis plants.
"The public needs to know that just because a substance is sold in a shop, in fancy packaging, for human consumption, does not mean that it is safe or tested in any meaningful way,” Prof Smyth warned.
About 15 years ago, ‘head shops’ sold psychoactive drugs, with effects mimicking some illegal drugs. These were closed due to health concerns.
Prof Smyth, a specialist consultant child and adolescent addiction psychiatrist, compared HHC to that situation, saying head-shop products caused “ a huge amount of damage”.
His colleague Professor Colin O’Gara echoed this warning.
“HHC has proven to be a potent cannabinoid in our clinical settings, particularly amongst young men,” he warned.
He described these men as needing “months of intensive treatment in the in-patient setting with medication to recover from the psychosis."
He has also seen them develop an addiction to HHC.
The college has urged the Government to enforce the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Act 2010 prohibiting sale of HHC and similar compounds.
“Over the past 20 years, we have seen the strength of cannabis rise, leading to an increase in mental illness among users,” Prof Smyth said.
“We know anecdotally that people can experience even more intense reactions from HHC and we have seen cases of HHC-induced psychosis in Ireland, which is particularly worrying. Until proven otherwise, we should work on the assumption that HHC products are going cause the same mix of problems which we see with cannabis.”