An increasing number of teenagers are presenting to hospital emergency departments (EDs) experiencing psychosis induced by legally available, semi-synthetic cannabis vaping products, a leading psychiatrist has said.
Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is a new semi-synthetic cannabinoid product that is chemically like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance found in cannabis that produces a “high”.
It is legally available to purchase in high-street shops and online, though is not recommended by health professionals.
Mary Cannon, professor of psychiatric epidemiology and youth mental health at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), and consultant psychiatrist in Beaumont Hospital Dublin, said every two or three weeks the Dublin hospital receives a young patient experiencing psychosis induced by these products.
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“We see young people with psychosis very frequently in the ED. They become very paranoid, agitated and aggressive. They have lost touch with reality,” she said.
“Often it is their parents who are bringing them in. It is the parents who bear the brunt of it; they’re seeing their young people change before their eyes. And sometimes they are picked up by the gardaí.”
Prof Cannon said the problem is these people are given a false sense of security about the safety of the products, due to the fact they’re legally available.
“They can go in and buy it and there’s no warnings on it. I just don’t think they know of the risks,” she said.
The psychiatrist also warned of the increased potency of illegal cannabis products, which she said has contributed to the number of murders committed by people experiencing cannabis-induced psychosis.
“Cannabis used to have a higher rate of CBD, or cannabidiol, to THC. It’s (CBD) like a mild sedative and that’s where the term being stoned came from because it relaxed people,” she said.
“But now the substance has changed. THC has gone from 1 per cent to at least 10 per cent, making people more paranoid. But we haven’t got to the really high potency that we see in the (United) States.”
Prof Cannon attributed the rise in potency to the legalisation of cannabis in certain jurisdictions, such as Canada.
“Now you have the legal market competing with the illegal market. It is driving up potency, and that is having a ripple effect across the world,” she said.
Prof Cannon was speaking before an event organised by the RCSI, which will explore how cannabis affects brain development and mental health in young people.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has also raised concerns about the increasing potency of cannabis products and the impact the availability of HHC is having on young people.
The HSE said there has been a “concerning” increase in the number of children and teenagers presenting to addiction services with mental health problems due to the substance.
