Austria bans HHC production and trade

As in France, hexahydrocannabinol - better known as HHC - is enjoying growing popularity in Austria among people looking for a «legal high».

However, the country has just banned the production and distribution of the drug on its territory, while possession and consumption remain unpunished.

According to the press release from the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, this decision is intended to protect consumers from potential health risks in the future, as scientific knowledge on the short- and long-term effects of HHC consumption are still insufficient. The new regulations came into force on March 23.

Synthesis and health

Like THC and CBD, HHC can be produced naturally by the cannabis plant and is the result of THC's natural degradation process, although this process results in very residual quantities. The compound used in the various HHC products available on the market is therefore obtained from by laboratory hydrogenation processes of cannabis extracts, from CBD, making it a semi-synthetic product.

According to Austrian Health Minister Johannes Rauch, «as a new psychoactive substance, the production and marketing of synthetic HHC is prohibited until we have sufficient knowledge about the health consequences. Any short- or long-term health consequences are as yet unknown», he declared.

Austria follows the lead of other European countries and health experts in including HHC in its list of banned substances. Finland has also classified HHC as a new psychotropic substance, just as Switzerland has banned its use, and Belgium and Hungary are soon to follow suit.