Latest news with #CollegeofPsychiatristsofIreland
RTÉ News
18-07-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
'Beggars belief' HHC available without restrictions
Clip • 7 Mins • 18 JUL • Morning Ireland Professor Bobby Smyth, chair of the Addiction Faculty at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, calls on the State to ban HHC products in vapes.
RTÉ News
17-07-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
'Beggars belief' that HHC products are available without restrictions
The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has said it "beggars belief" that products containing a man-made drug which produces similar effects to cannabis, and which they say has done major damage to people's mental health, are still available without restrictions in this country. The college issued its statement as a new study examining the use of the drug Hexahydrocannabinol or HHC, found it was the second most common drug involved in patients presenting with psychosis at University Hospital Galway between May 2023 and December 2024. The drug contained in some vapes and edibles, produces similar effects to the natural ingredient in cannabis - THC - which causes the drug's high. The products are available to buy for anyone over 18, despite ongoing calls for them to be banned. The study was published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It involved an examination of the medical notes of 214 admissions for psychotic illness to the Adult Acute Mental Health Unit at University Hospital Galway - over a period of 21 months from May 2023 to December 2024. The researchers found that 28 of the admissions were preceded by self-reported use of HHC. Nine of these admissions reported using only HHC while the others used other substances such as cannabis, cocaine and psychedelics. The study found that HHC users were more likely to be male and ranged in age from 18-49 with a median age of 24 - significantly younger than the median age of those who did not use HHC. HHC was the second most used illicit substance in the admissions, with cannabis being the most used. When the researchers examined those admitted for a first episode of psychosis, they found that out of 47 such individuals, 16 were preceded by HHC use. The researchers say that to their knowledge, this is the first study to examine the prevalence rates of HHC use in people experiencing acute psychotic disorders. The chief executive of a company that makes and sells Hexahydrocannabinol or HHC, a drug contained in some vapes and edibles, has said he believes there needs to be more regulation in Ireland around selling the substance. Luke Gavin, CEO and Founder of Owls Oil, said that in his opinion the issue comes back to education and that he believes some people may be taking "too much." He said that because of the lack of regulation here there are issues in relation to the supply chain and testing of the products. Researchers, meanwhile, say HHC is now the second most common drug involved in psychosis presentations. However, they say this aligns with previous data when other psychoactive substances were available legally in head shops. They acknowledge limitations in this survey and say it is likely that it underestimates the prevalence of HHC. This is because toxicology tests may give a false positive for THC, and a lack of awareness about the prevalence of HHC may mean patients were not directly asked about it. They also point out that when asked a question about illegal drug use, patients may not have mentioned HHC as it is not an illegal substance. They also point out that the study looks only at people experiencing severe or very acute psychotic episodes and not those who were managed as out patients. They do acknowledge that the results of this survey in one hospital may not apply generally. However, the researchers say the results lend further support to a link between HHC use and psychotic illness. The study raises concern about the ability of Irish legislation introduced in 2010 to regulate products sold in head shops, to prevent the sale of HHC products and the sale of future "novel psychoactive substances". They say the delay in banning HHC and its "longstanding, tolerated and ongoing sale", has already led to significant harm for a number of individuals and failure to react more quickly to the next new substances will likely cause future harm. Asked about the study, Mr Gavin said there was a "big issue" in Ireland because people were unsure how to consume it and they may take too much. Mr Gavin said "dosing was extremely important and he said he believed it was a better alternative to alcohol and that many people were using it to relax. In a statement, the College of Psychiatrists said HHC was a particularly harmful substance that had done major damage to the mental health of many people – adolescents in particular – in just a few years since its creation. It said it beggared belief that it was still freely available around Ireland without any restrictions, given the "overwhelming evidence" of its harms. The statement added that the legislative framework existed for the Government to ban it and it called on the Government to act urgently to do so "before more people and their loved ones were negatively impacted."
RTÉ News
30-06-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
169 young people sought treatment for HHC drug in last 18 months
Since the beginning of last year, 169 young people have sought treatment for problems with Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), a drug contained in some vapes and edibles, figures from the Health Research Board show. The substance is available for sale in vape shops across the country. The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland has reiterated its call for the drug to be banned because of problems with addiction and serious mental health issues. John, 18, who does not want to be identified, became addicted to and had serious mental health effects from vapes containing HHC. The man-made drug produces similar effects to a natural ingredient in cannabis, known as THC, which causes the drugs "high". John said: "I heard voices screaming in my head, it was absolutely terrifying. I thought it would never go away. "I had really bad psychosis, I had three or four schizophrenic episodes from it, I was really lazy, the vape was always in my hand and it was so easy to get because the shop would just give it to us." Joe, who also does not want to be identified, said his life has never been the same, after he began inhaling HHC from a vape that he bought in a local shop. "I was smoking weed a lot, and when I seen this HHC, it was just an easy access, you know. "It was just in the shops, obviously you could bring it places and take it whenever you want, but as I was using it for a few weeks, it just kind of turns your world upside down. "Psychosis, overthinking, just insane thinking, you're just not the same person. You're like a zombie, your face is droopy, your eyes are a few centimetres lower than they should be, you just look ... you look bad." Figures from the Health Research Board show that 169, mostly young people, sought treatment for problems with HHC over the past year and a half. Head of Clinical Services at Aiséirí Addiction Treatment Centre in Kilkenny Sara Cassidy said there has been a sharp rise in the number of people attending the service who are addicted to the drug. "They have had horrendous psychosis experiences, symptoms that are similar to schizophrenia and the biggest concern is that for some of these young people, with their developing brains, is that the symptoms don't necessary dissipate once the chemical is stopped and it's quite treatment resistant," she said. Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Professor Bobby Smyth has been calling on the Government to ban HHC for the last year. He said: "We began seeing some of the young people attending the service reporting the use of HHC in a problematic way about two years ago. "Three years ago, it did not exist as a concern." "I suppose we are a bit confused about why its taken so long to ban it," Prof Smyth said. "I believe it will be banned," he added. He said that perhaps the "biggest question is how as this allowed to happen in the first place, what can we learn from this because the entrepreneurs, who have been making money selling HHC to the youth of Ireland over the last few years, will just find another drug if we are going to continue to permit them to do so". The Department of Health said HHC contained in some vapes and in edibles like gummies will shortly be added to the misuse of drugs regulations. This means it will be illegal to sell or supply it. However, for people like Joe and John, this cannot come soon enough. Joe says he is feeling better now but still suffers some of the effects daily. Joe said: "I am feeling good now, but I am feeling lucky as well, like there is people here who just aren't the same as me who aren't as lucky. "Also, I got off them before I came in here, that probably saved me. I would say if I kept smoking them for a few weeks longer my brain would be a lot more deteriorated. John said he wants to see them taken out of shops so no other person has to go through what he did. "It will change your life and not for the better, because the first time you pick it up it's all fun and games, but the more you pick it up, the more you smoke it, you start to see what I saw and feel what I felt and some people might not get it as easy as me and some people might not get out of the hole I was in as easy."
Irish Examiner
17-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Public 'indifferent' to dangers of HHC use, health experts warn
Health experts are 'gobsmacked' by public indifference to the growth of a synthetic cannabinoid widely available in shops, which has been linked to psychotic incidents in teenagers. The Irish Examiner has conducted test purchases of products containing hexahydrocannabinol, known as HHC, which has similar effects to cannabis and can be easily bought in shops in towns and villages across Ireland. The products on sale include jelly edibles and vape products in a wide range of flavours. Legislation is currently being drawn up to include the substance in the Misuse of Drugs Act, amid confusion about whether it is illegal to sell the product under previous legislation introduced in 2010. Bobby Smyth, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and clinical professor at Trinity College Dublin, said the dangers associated with HHC were highlighted a year and a half ago by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland but no action has been taken to tackle them. Isobel Towse, a Social Democrats councillor in West Cork, recently outlined how a 12-year-old child in Clonakilty could not remember his mother's name, while another child had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital after vaping the cannabinoid. HHC was also linked to an incident in Fermoy in 2023 in which four young people were hospitalised. It is understood that up to a fifth of teenagers being treated in addiction services are there because of chemically modified cannabis products found in vapes and edibles, including HHC. Prof Smyth said: 'This is not an emerging trend — it is an established problem that has gone on a shockingly long time with zero action. 'I am gobsmacked as to how indifferent the response to it has been from the powers-that-be. The public seems to have other things on their mind, they are oblivious to this threat that exists on our high streets. He said HCC 'is the main substance now in about a quarter of referrals' for adolescent addiction services. 'We are not clinically dealing with lots of young people developing psychosis but we are dealing with the aftermath of that. 'Those young people would not attend our services in the first instance. They get admitted to hospital and get treated there, and are then referred out to us for a bit of support helping avoid a return to HHC use.' Consultant psychiatrist Colin O'Gara and head of addiction services at St John of God University Hospital, says issues with HHC are not restricted to young teens. 'From testimony from both patients and others, it is not uncommon for dinner parties. I have been told that a non drug- using cohort would have gummies in a middle-aged grouping because they see it as legal and see nothing wrong. 'The product is toxic and it is harmful, just like alcohol, just like substances, and just like gambling. Everybody is vulnerable to HHC.' Plans are underway to include HHC on the list of controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act, but a clear timeline has not been provided.
