In just a few months, a new drug has become popular in Denmark – including North Jutland.
It looks, smells and acts like hashish, and indeed it is.
However, there is a significant difference. The new substance is fully legal, and is therefore sold both in shops and online – the only requirement is that the buyer is over 18 years old.
It’s not quite as potent as classic hash, but pretty close judging by reviews online.
The fact that it is legal is because the substance is sold in a refined version. In the new substance, the content of THC has been kept very low, while the content of HHC has been increased. The latter is not quite as potent and does not produce quite the same effect.
The two so-called cannabinoids look similar and are both a natural part of the cannabis plant, but the law sees the matter differently. THC appears on the list of prohibited euphoric substances, and it is illegal to sell products that have a THC content of more than 0.2 percent. HHC, on the other hand, is completely legal.
High HHC hash isn’t new, but its popularity is. It is not more than four or five months ago that large webshops started selling it, and since then the demand has only grown. The price is only slightly higher than hash with THC.
Hash with HHC can be delivered to the nearest parcel post in many different versions.
One of the North Jutland sellers – the web shop herbz, which has a physical address in Hobro – has a number of different HHC products on the shelf.
They can supply it as liquid for e-cigarettes, cookies, wine gummy bears or pre-rolled joints. If you want to mix it yourself in the classic way, it is sold in slabs of up to 100 grams.
Nordjyske has been in contact with the company’s director, but he has no comments.
On the company’s Facebook page, however, it appears that sales are going well.
– Unfortunately, we have underestimated (AGAIN, SORRY) how many people buy HHC top shots, so unfortunately we have run out of the slightly more expensive variants ….. BUT a new fresh consignment has been ordered which will arrive at the end of next week, it says in a notice.
The company uses social media for and for the product SPACE COMETS 40% HHC they lure customers along a trip through space with full darts on.
Several physical stores also sell products with HHC content – among them it can be bought from Caboon in Aalborg. But not in this shop either – there is a so-called head shop that sells various equipment for smoking and growing cannabis – is there anyone who wants to make a statement about Nordjutland.
This may be because the legislation is a bit unclear in this area. It is perfectly legal to sell HHC products as long as the marketing does not encourage consumption.
Maybe ban
The Danish Health Authority is well aware that the substance is sold in Denmark, but for the time being they are awaiting an announcement from the EMCDDA, which is the European monitoring center for drugs and drug addiction.
A kind of conference was held here in December, where 140 experts discussed the potential risks of the substance. One of the things the experts could see was that HHC has basically the same effects as THC according to some laboratory studies. They also describe that pharmacological and behavioral effects of HHC have not been studied, but “anecdotal reports from consumers indicate that its effects are comparable to cannabis”.
A Danish researcher, however, is ready with his verdict on the substance.
– I think it should be illegal. If THC is illegal, and you are not allowed to drive with THC in your blood, then of course you should not be allowed to drive with anything similar to THC, says Tore Hardlei, who is a forensic chemist at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Aarhus University, to Berlingske.