A 'loophole' that sees legal cannabinoid products sold in vapes should be closed, an addiction specialist has said.
It comes as Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) has likened Ireland's cannabis market to the "Wild West of the drug marketplace".
Its latest annual report shows cannabis and related cannabinoid products made up 42% of all cases analysed by FSI in 2023.
"The traditional cannabis market is no longer a homogenous arena and is now a dynamically evolving space with ongoing rapid emergence of a dizzying array of synthetic cannabinoid products," it says.
"A review of 114 jelly, sweet and chocolate products analysed in 2023 showed that only 64% contained the assumed intended purchase of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance in cannabis."
Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and addiction specialist Dr Bobby Smyth told Newstalk Breakfast that a semi-synthetic legal cannabinoid, known as HHC, is being sold in Ireland.
"Some of the studies that Forensic Science Ireland did of some of the samples sent into them that were supposedly meant to be edible cannabis products and about one-third of those were synthetics," he said.
"They also mention concerns and problems arising from HHC which doctors have certainly been highlighting now for the last months.
"It's certainly an issue in our service."
A vape shop window, 12-3-24. Image: peter dazeley / AlamyDr Smyth said it is prevalent in shops selling vapes and e-cigarettes.
"HHC is generally consumed in vape format [and] there's also edible products," he said.
"Unfortunately it's actually being sold legally by some specialist vape shops.
"There have been reports highlighted by psychiatrists in the west who linked it to a couple of episodes of psychosis.
"Adult psychiatrists have been highlighting problems with it and in our adolescent addiction services we're seeing, probably, one in every four young people who presents with a cannabis problem there's also this HHC use in the background.
"HHC is sometimes the primary substance that's leading to the referral into the adolescent addiction service".
'We had this problem with head shops'
Dr Smyth said a 'loophole' is seeing the substance remaining on sale.
"It's a bit of a loophole in that it's not in the Misuse of Drugs Act," he said.
"It's not listed alongside all the other chemicals and substances that are currently banned in Ireland.
"We had this problem back in 2010 in Ireland with head shops which began selling psychoactive drugs that weren't in the Misuse of Drugs Act.
"We enacted some novel legislation at the time and I can't figure out why they aren't using that legislation to shut down this activity," he added.
The FSI says cocaine was the most commonly identified stimulant in Ireland and the second most commonly identified compound after cannabis.
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