DOPE VAPES ‘TRIGGERING PSYCHOSIS’
Psychiatrist calls for ban as report lays out dangers
A LEADING psychiatrist is calling for a ban on semi-synthetic cannabinoid HHC after a study showed it can trigger psychotic illness.
A team of clinicians from University Hospital Galway highlighted two cases of Hhc-induced psychosis in patients.
The substance is sold legally in Ireland in jelly form and as vapes.
One 20-year-old male patient reported feeling there was a “devil inside of him” according to the study, the first paper of its kind here.
The man told doctors he was a habitual cannabis user for three years smoking on average half a gramme of cannabis herb a day.
He said he began using a HCC vape in the two months before his admission to hospital, and was vaping daily.
The brand he used had packaging stating it contains 300 puffs (one milliliter) of 95% HHC distillate with 5% terpenes, is derived from hemp, and was manufactured in the Netherlands.
He presented to the emergency department complaining of psychotic symptoms including delusions of guilt and hallucinations.
The study described: “He feared that he would be sent to prison and that he may have killed one of his friends.
“He had burnt himself with a cigarette in the context of guilty cognitions towards himself.
“He reported total insomnia for three days... and stated he felt as if he was ‘in a game’.
“He presented as fearful and persecuted with prominent delusions of guilt and persecution associated with thoughts of self-harm.
“He spent prolonged periods praying with a Bible or rosary beads. He felt there was a ‘devil inside of him’.”
DISTRESSING
Another male in his 30s had distressing symptoms including questioning if what he was experiencing was reality and continuously writing in a copybook.
The paper, published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, noted he bought a vape from a CBD shop two weeks before his hospital visit.
On admission he was noted to be pacing around the psychiatric ward insisting on keeping office doors open.
Doctors described how he “displayed a perplexed appearance and was alogic”. He denied being paranoid, but his speech was bizarre in content.
Both had used the same brand of HHC vape in the weeks before they were admitted to the psychiatric unit of the Galway hospital.
Senior registrar in Psychiatry, Dr Brian O’mahony, warned: “Our worry would be that its [HHC] use would likely be correlated with the development of psychotic illness, which has been demonstrated in this case series.
“We have also seen other cases since submitting this article, as have some of our colleagues in psychiatry across the country.” Study co-author Prof Colm Mcdonald called for an immediate ban on the sale of HHC given its recorded link to psychotic episodes.
He said: “Authorities should move swiftly now to ban this substance from vape shops and increase awareness of the risks among young people, who might also seek to access this substance
He had burnt himself with a cigarette STUDY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL GALWAY
online. Our article states that we believe HHC should be banned under the Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substance) Act, 2010.”
The HSE said HHC is not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act but regarded as a new psychoactive substance.
A spokesperson added: “It was placed under intensive monitoring by the EU early warning system for drugs in October 2022 due to the potential public health and social risks associated with the substance.
“The HSE is aware that the product is being sold in vape shops in Ireland and has reported into the Irish Early Warning group in relation to adverse health consequences among young people after the use of this drug.
“These adverse consequences are usually related to mental health problems including anxiety, depressive symptoms, and in some cases potential psychosis.
“The HSE does have concerns about the use of this substance and continues to link with adolescent services in relation to presentations.”