For HHC addicts who would find it difficult to do without it, psychiatrist Nicolas Authier wants to be reassuring: “It’s not fatal. It’s very uncomfortable. But it passes in a few days.”
HHC ban is wrong “completely remove access, but it severely limits it”said Professor Nicolas Authier, psychiatrist, head of the medical pharmacology department at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital and specialist in the medical use of cannabis, on franceinfo on Monday June 12, while the Minister of Health François Braun announced that the Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), a synthetic derivative of cannabis, was classified Monday as a narcotic by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM).
>> REPORT. “Not authorized, but not illegal”: what is HHC, this cannabis derivative sold freely in France?
This ban “may help to reduce the risks associated with this use”, according to Nicolas Authier. He will be “harder to get” and there will be “fewer people will experience it”. And for addicts who may find it difficult to do without it, the psychiatrist wants to be reassuring: “It’s not deadly. It’s very uncomfortable. But it passes in a few days.”
franceinfo: Is hexahydrocannabinol dangerous only in the event of an overdose or dangerous even when used normally?
Nicholas Authier: It is a product that mimics the effects of THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the psychoactive substance of cannabis. So it has the same potential risks, neurological, psychiatric, cardiovascular risks. The risk is not really an overdose, because you don’t die from an overdose of cannabis or cannabinoids. On the other hand, we have undesirable effects, complications, which can appear all the more when the substance is relatively powerful and when we make a mistake in the dosage. So it’s a substance that mimics the effects of illegal cannabis.
Do we already have statistics on cases of hospitalizations linked to the consumption of this product?
It is too much for the moment to have robust statistical data. We have cases that have been reported to the French addictovigilance network, a network of thirteen centers working for the Medicines Agency, which reports drug-related complications, including synthetic cannabinoids such as HHC. There are reported cases that are quite easy to explain, but it is difficult for the moment to say that we have statistical series. The idea is to do prevention, and not wait to have complications in thousands or tens of thousands of people with a substance. And we must prevent by limiting access. It’s not perfect to classify as narcotics. It can’t completely remove access, but it does limit it. And that may help reduce the risks associated with this use.
The issue with banning this type of product is that it creates an underground, less controlled, parallel market. Do you think it’s less risky?
It is already unchecked. We have a legal market that relies on the CBD market, so-called cannabis “welfare”. So we have a very large market, very easy to access. On the other hand, we have no guarantee of the quality of the HHC. It is a black market that relies on a legal market. This will not change much on the quality of the products which are currently not controlled. On the other hand, the availability will be less. There will be no more in tobacconists. There will be more in the shops that are found all over town. It will be a little harder to get them. And maybe there will be fewer people who experience it or become addicted to it.
For those who already consume it, what are the alternatives if there is a feeling of lack in the days to come and we can no longer obtain it?
The majority of HHC users are already cannabis users with THC who have switched from one to the other and who are already addicted to cannabinoids and this family of substances. The risk is that those who used HHC take back illegal cannabis, that which contains THC. There may be a withdrawal syndrome, but you have to have consumed it for a long time, months, sometimes years. I don’t think that’s what is most to be feared. On the other hand, there are some HHC users who will revert to illegal cannabis use. We cannot control this option. But it must be said to those who consume it or to the entourage of those who consume it that there is possible support through structures, consultations for young consumers, addiction consultations, specialized care centers with anonymous and free consultations. Do not hesitate to make appointments and discuss if you feel bad after stopping HHC. It’s not deadly. We are not going to die of lack. But it’s very uncomfortable. There is anxiety, sleep disturbances, tremors, sweating. But it passes in a few days.