What is HHC and how does it compare to THC?

After the wild success of delta 8 THC as a legal alternative to the more controlled availability of delta 9 THC, the cannabis industry looked to other lesser known cannabinoids to compete in the diverse cannabis market. One of the newest and most promising is hexahydrocannabinol, usually abbreviated to HHC.

Kaj je HHC?

HHC je sorodnik THC-ja, znan znanosti že dolgo, a do nedavnega uporabniki konoplje o njem niso pogosto razpravljali. HHC je manjši kanabinoid; naravno se pojavlja v konoplji, vendar v premajhnih količinah, da bi bila ekstrakcija stroškovno učinkovita. Ker komercialna proizvodnja HHC šele začenja, še vedno ni splošno znana.

SUBHEADING

Most cannabinoids can be converted into other cannabinoids by changing the chemistry of the molecules. Like delta 8 THC and delta 10 THC, commercial HHC is produced from hemp-derived CBD in a laboratory using chemical processes. HHC has one major legal advantage over delta 8 and delta 10: It’s not called THC.

How is HHC produced?

HHC was discovered by chemist Roger Adams in the 1940s. He created HHC by adding hydrogen to the THC molecule and changing its physical properties. The process, called hydrogenation, was first described in a 1947 patent document.

Hydrogenation changes the structure of delta 9 THC by replacing the double bond with two hydrogen atoms, which changes its molecular weight and makes it more stable. According to Mark Scialdon, chemist and chief scientific officer of BR Brands, hydrogenation improves “stability and resistance to thermo-oxidative degradation” – meaning HHC has a longer shelf life and is less prone to damage caused by UV light and heat.

Does HHC hit you? Does it have side effects?

It’s kind of complicated. Although HHC is not technically THC, it has similar effects – if you use enough of it. When a batch of HHC is made in the laboratory, it is a mixture of active and inactive HHC molecules. Active HHC binds well to your body’s cannabinoid receptors; others don’t.

Manufacturers have yet to figure out a cost-effective way to separate a high-powered HHC from its low-powered twin, so a commercial HHC—which is a mix of the two forms—can be a real bummer for the buyer. But HHC has noticeable effects. User reports generally describe high HHC as somewhere between delta 8 and delta 9 THC.

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Almost everything we know about the effects and side effects of HHC is anecdotal. However, users report the same set of side effects familiar to users of delta 9 THC: anxiety and paranoia, dry mouth, dry and red eyes, hunger and insomnia.

Will HHC show up on a drug test?

It appears that HHC may not break down in the body in the same way as THC. Unlike the delta 8, delta 9, and delta 10 forms of THC, there is some evidence that HHC does not metabolize to 11-hydroxy-THC, which is a breakdown substance that many drug boards test for.

But this has not been studied and is not certain. So far, no one knows for sure that HHC will not leave traces of use in your blood, urine or hair. If your employer is drug testing, we suggest that you do not put your job at risk by using HHC.

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Ali ima HHC zdravstvene koristi?

HHC ni bil veliko raziskan, za razliko od bolj razširjenih kanabinoidov, kot sta delta 9 THC ali CBD, vendar je bilo nekaj obetavnih raziskav. Študija iz leta 2011 je pokazala, da nekateri sintetični analogi heksahidrokanabinola (HHC) “močno zavirajo angiogenezo in rast tumorja, ki jo povzročajo celice raka dojke.” Japonski raziskovalci so leta 2007 objavili članek, v katerem so opisali impresivno sposobnost HHC za blokiranje bolečin pri miših. Vendar je verjetno še prezgodaj reči, ali HHC veliko obeta kot terapevtsko zdravilo.

Does HHC Have Health Benefits?

SUBHEADING

Congress made the hemp plant and all its derivatives federally legal in the 2018 Farm Bill — as long as the plant, or anything made from it, contains less than 0.3 percent delta 9 THC.

Although HHC occurs naturally in the cannabis plant, commercial HHC is produced by hydrogenating hemp-derived cannabinoids under pressure with a catalyst such as palladium. Scientists at the National Hemp Industry Association call the result a “semi-synthetic” cannabis compound.

In May 2022, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that delta 8 THC is legal under the Farm Bill’s definition of hemp, and that all other compounds and derivatives of hemp are also legal as long as they contain no more than the permitted maximum of 0.3 percent delta 9 THC. This clearly makes HHC a legal cannabis product and offers protection to producers and sellers of HHC (and delta 8 and delta 10 THC and THCP), although some lawyers note that other federal courts may reach different conclusions.

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However, HHCs could still be banned by individual states. This is likely if HHC becomes popular enough to threaten sales in the legal cannabis market, as we have seen happen with delta 8 THC.

Where can HHC be found?

According to reports, only one manufacturer in the US manufactures HHC and offers it wholesale. We are not sure that this is true, but the fact is that not many companies produce it. As a result, only a handful of companies offer HHC at retail, and they haven’t been doing so for a long time.

A quick Google search turned up about a dozen online retailers that carry a variety of HHC products. Most vendors offer vape carts filled with HHC oil, and many have rubber ones. Less common, but certainly available, are disposable HHC vapes, oral tinctures, and inhalable concentrates. At least one company sells “HHC flower” – which is coated with hemp flower or infused with HHC.

SUBHEADING

If HHC is legally successful, and especially if the production of highly effective HHC becomes cheaper, this promising cannabinoid will become more accessible to the diverse cannabis market.
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