The government’s announced ban on cannabinoids HHC and THCP has provoked some hesitant individuals to try the substance before it’s pulled from the market. A significant influx of new customers, predominantly seniors, was recently reported by a seller in Plzen. However, experts warn that inexperienced users could easily overdose.
“Calmly at home, they wanted to try it before it became illegal,” Matěj Šolc, a salesman at the Plzen store Cannanland, confirmed to the editorial office. About two weeks before the HHC ban, he noticed an unexpected influx of older people entering his shop. He served a couple around sixty years old and bought HHC candies.
“Recently, it had the opposite effect than perhaps expected. Demand was higher. Interestingly, it was mainly older customers who came,” he said. As a result, they practically sold out of HHC products, including vaporizer fillings and sweets.
The increasing number of overdosed adolescents was a reason why the government urgently proceeded to prohibit it. Over the last six months, dozens of people were hospitalized due to serious health problems.
However, older people with several chronic diseases face the same risk. They do not know how their body will react to the substance. “HHC changes perception. For example, a person can have slowed down time and may experience auditory, tactile, or visual hallucinations. HHC also affects mood,” explained addiction specialist Adam Kulhánek.
However, it takes tens of minutes for candies, jellies, or other sweets to enter the bloodstream and begin acting. “That’s probably why most intoxications occurred. Teens swallowed two or three gummy bears; it did nothing to them, so they swallowed more. But after half an hour, the substance started to kick in, and the effect, when consumed orally, can last four to six hours,” he emphasized.
Many people, according to him, mistake the hemp substance CBD, which is also used in treatment, with psychoactive HHC. They think it works the same. However, CBD does not have a psychoactive effect.