Government repeating mistakes of headshop era with synthetic cannabis being sold
HHC emerged in Ireland between 2022 and 2024.
The government are repeating the mistakes of the "headshop era" by not enforcing legislation when it comes to the sale of synthetic cannabis.
That's according to a Senior Registrar of Psychiatry, who says chemicals similar to HHC are causing serious mental health problems.
Dr Brian O'Mahony, who works at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, spoke to RTÉ's Morning Ireland about the effects that synthetic cannabis is having on people.
HHC is a hemp-derived cannabinoid, but its effects don't last very long.
It emerged in Ireland between 2022 and 2024, and started to be sold in shops across the country.
Last year, HHC was banned and a number of lab-made chemicals that cause simialr effects, or "highs," have since started to be sold.
Short-term effects are very similar to those of THC, which is naturally found in cannabis and produces that "high" feeling.
However, long-term effects are a lot more serious and can lead to devastating mental health issues for the people that use synthetic cannabis products.
"They can develop addiction, they can develop serious anxiety, and in the worst-case scenario, they can develop psychosis," Dr O'Mahony explained.
This is a loss of touch with reality and is one of the "worst things" that can happen to your mental health.
Dr O'Mahony explained how, when HHC was being sold, he saw many people being admitted to the psychiatric ward with HHC-induced psychosis, and now the same thing is happening with these lab-made chemicals.
These synthetic cannabis products are technically illegal, but similar to the headshop era, as they are not named in legislation, they are being sold.
There is a Psychoactive Substances Act within Irish legislation, which should make the sale of these products illegal, but Dr O'Mahony says this is not being acted upon.
He added that the solution "shouldn't be difficult" as the Department of Health has every right to go into a shop and force it to stop selling these vapes and products.