All about HHC safety
A big step for HHC
Last year was a turning point for HHC. Demand for it began to rise sharply. A new substance has thus appeared on the cannabis market, which is enjoying above-standard popularity.
However, there are several reasons for caution, the main one being the lack of quality control or even deliberate obfuscation of content by some manufacturers.
Further question marks hang over the safety of the use of HHC itself. It is not an unknown substance - it was first created by American chemist Roger Adams in the 1940s when he added a hydrogen molecule to delta-9 THC (hydrogenation process). The effect of the compound on the human body when consumed over a long period of time is still unclear.
HHC safety: problematic content analysis
The biggest problem concerns the quality of HHC. The demand for products containing HHC is huge. And this is a breeding ground for dubious manufacturers for whom the prospect of large profits is more important than the quality and, above all, the safety of the products. Thus, fraud and manipulation of mandatory content analyses to cover up manufacturing errors and deliberate resignation to the purity of the final product - and thus its safety for the user - are proliferating.
Possible fraud with HHC cover:
- Inadequate heavy metal filtering
- Possible contamination with delta-8 THC
- False certificates and laboratory analyses attempting to cover up these transgressions
All scams have one common reason, and that is competitiveness - to push the price to the minimum. But of course this will have an impact on the quality of the output.
HHC (its most common "version" 9-beta-hydroxy-hexahydrocannabinol) is almost indistinguishable from delta-8 THC. So it may be that the analyses are fine and show no fault, but the final product does not contain even trace amounts of hexahydrocannabinol. Not to mention that delta-8 THC is on the banned substances list in many countries and the sale, possession and possession of products containing this compound is illegal. Unfortunately, this is being exploited by some manufacturers in order to save money. Far from being an unfair practice, it contains dangerous substances that can cause serious health problems.
As we mentioned above, the problem is also due to insufficient filtration to rid the HHC of metals and hazardous substances. These are mainly palladium, platinum and Raney's nickel. More than 99% of hexahydrocannabinol production uses metal catalysts. However, in the next step, these metals must be completely removed so that they do not cause health complications for users. Only tests by an accredited laboratory can rule out the presence of such metals.
Brands and users
We cannot vouch for the manufacturer of HHC. Some are honest about their work, others are not. This is true in all industries. But all responsibility for verifying the output quality of products should not rest with the users themselves. The first warning signal concerns the price, which must reflect the cost of HHC. These are relatively high due to the lengthy production process, the filtering out of metal catalysts and the mandatory testing.
The brands themselves should check that the information in the suppliers' documents is correct and have each product analysed (or at least randomly) at their own expense by a certified facility that can detect fraudulent practices relating to heavy metal content or specifically delta-8 THC and HHC analogues (9R HHC has a higher level of psychoactivity than 9S HHC).
Summary
While HHC is heading for the top and is currently one of the most desirable cannabinoids, unfortunately it is associated with numerous scams regarding composition or analysis and certification. Customers should look for third-party tests and choose products from proven and trusted online stores or (re)verified brands.
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