Neo-cannabinoids and legislation in European countries 2026

After HHC was banned in France, a new generation of neo-cannabinoids emerged: THCP, H3CBN, THCV and HHCPO: THCP, H3CBN, THCV, HHCPO... After almost a year to the day, they were also banned in France and several European countries.

But since banning a compound doesn't curb demand, and manufacturers are never short of imagination, they were in turn replaced by other cannabinoids.

The world of cannabinoids is evolving rapidly. Therefore, we're giving you a quick overview of the cannabinoids that will be legal and those that will be banned in 2026.

A brief history of the synthetic cannabinoid trade in Europe

Contrary to popular belief, the marketing of synthetic cannabinoids in Europe is not so new. In fact, it predates the marketing of CBD in France. In fact, the UN body monitoring the emergence of new psychoactive substances, the UNODC, tells us that the first synthesis of a THC derivative marketed in the USA and "other countries" dates back to 1988[1], a molecule called HU-210.

After this first commercial synthesis, several other cannabinoids of varying complexity were created. Mixed or sprayed onto different herbal blends, they became known as "Spice" Gold, Silver, or Diamond, "K2," "Bliss,"Black Mamba,Black Mamba"Bombay Blue," "Blaze," "Genie," "Zohai," "JWH-018, -073, -250," "Kronic," "Yucatan Fire," "Skunk," "Moon Rocks," "Mr. Smiley," and so on.

These herbal blends enjoyed relative success from 2000 to 2010 in several European countries, notably Germany and Spain.

Until a study published in 2011 revealed the compound's toxicity. The study concluded that one of the cannabinoids in the blend "could cause seizures and tachyarrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)". What's more, a review of clinical reports from 2010 reveals that this blend causes the same dependence and withdrawal symptoms as cannabis.

And finally, a third analysis of the cannabinoids present in "spice" highlights "the increasing number of reports of suicides associated with previous use of these products".

Logically, in the wake of these studies, European countries that had not yet done so are now banning herbal blends based on synthetic cannabinoids. Nine of these countries have even passed legislation to this effect [1].

 

 

The advent of CBD and its derivatives

The ban on synthetic cannabinoids derived from THC was followed by the advent of CBD. Available on the net since the years 2000-2010, it was only after 2015 that CBD experienced real commercial development and acquired the renown that goes with it.

Nevertheless, CBD does not meet a part of the demand that is looking for recreational products with psychotropic and psychoactive effects. That's how CBD derivatives came into the picture and caught the public's attention.

Taking advantage of the legal grey areas surrounding CBD and its derivatives, and more generally of the legislation governing new chemical molecules, HHC has spread rapidly across Europe.

 

Then, HHC was banned in several countries:

• In France, Belgium and the United Kingdom in June 2023
• In Italy and Sweden in July 2023
• In Luxembourg, at the same time as all synthetic cannabinoids, on August 1, 2023
• In Austria and the Czech Republic in March 2023
• Lithuania, Poland and Slovenia, November 2022
• Finland, Switzerland and Estonia, April 2023
• In Germany in June 2024

Countries such as Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Poland, Estonia, Finland and Bulgaria have not explicitly banned these products, but have restrictive legislation on THC- and HHC-like compounds, making them de facto illegal.

In short, most countries that have banned HHC have also banned the cannabinoids that came after it.

 

After HHC: European countries that have banned neocannabinoids in 2024.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the UK and France banned HHC in 2023. Almost a year later, cannabinoids "formed from a benzo[c]chromene-type chemical nucleus" joined the list of cannabinoids banned in France. They include :

• Minor cannabinoids close to THC: THCP (Delta-p), THCB, THCJD, THCH, THCV (above 0.3%).
• Hydrogenated cannabinoids: H3CBN, H4CBD and H2CBD
• Acetylated cannabinoids: THCPO, HHCPO

This decision, announced in France in May 2024, was followed or preceded by several European countries. This same list of cannabinoids has also become illegal:

• In Germany in June 2024
• In Denmark and Sweden in January 2024
• In the Czech Republic in February 2024
• In Italy in July 2023

Countries like Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Poland, Estonia, Finland, and Bulgaria had restrictive legislation regarding compounds similar to THC and HHC, effectively making these compounds illegal. Since 2026, all of these countries have decided to enshrine the prohibition of these compounds in law, thereby formally classifying these molecules.

In summary, after the near-total ban on HHC in Europe, all minor cannabinoids close to THC, hydrogenated cannabinoids and acetylated compounds are now generally prohibited.

2025: the new cannabinoids legal in France

As we've said, prohibition doesn't stop demand, and as long as there's demand, there's always supply to meet it. With the banning of THCP, THCB, THCJD, THCH, THCV, H3CBN, H4CBD, H2CBD, THCPO and HHCPO, a whole new generation has emerged.

Discover our legal CBD derivatives

HHC metabolites

A new range of products is based on HHC by-products. These are the molecules produced by the degradation of HHC by the liver's cytochromes P450. These are 10-OH-HHC and 8-OH-HHC.

Muscimole products

muscimole is an alkaloid. It is one of the two psychoactive molecules in fly agaric. The second, ibotenic acid, is neurotoxic.

Molecules derived from CBD

One example is CBDP, a natural minor cannabinoid as close to CBD as THCP is to THC.

Mixes of cannabinoids

They represent the largest number of new products. But, unlike the potentially dangerous but clearly identified older molecules, most cannabinoid mixes are opaque in their composition. They include :

• THM: The hot mix, a blend of CBD, CBDP, CBG, CBC and CBN.
• THCN: CBD flowers infused in a CBN isolate.
• MCPN: a blend of natural cannabinoids (CBN, CBDA, CBG, CBGA, CBN, and CBC)
• MCPB: contains the same ingredients as MCPN, but also 10-OH-HHC and/or 8-OH-HHC.
• HPE CBD: a blend of unknown composition
• CBDX: a blend of unknown composition
• THV N10: a mixture or an unknown molecule
• CB9: a mixture or an unknown molecule
• CBG9: a mixture of unknown composition

2026: HHC banned internationally and uncertainty still persists

As every year, the 2026 overview of cannabinoid legality in Europe is marked by an increase in prohibitions. HHC , previously regulated individually by each country, has been classified as a narcotic at the international level : the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted for its inclusion in March 2025, a decision that came into effect on December 6, 2025. From now on, HHC is only authorized for research purposes. This classification was followed by a ban on the sale of HHC in the Netherlands, which remained one of the last countries to still offer it.

In France, as in most European Union countries, CBD derivatives that emerged following the ban on THCP and its analogues, HHC byproducts (10-OH-HHC and 8-OH-HHC), cannabinoid mixes, and CBD-derived molecules have not, to date, been subject to a firm ban, with the notable exception of Italy . Italy, which had opened the sale of CBD as early as 2016 before progressively restricting it from 2019 onwards through a series of decrees and court decisions, has since significantly tightened its regulations, even going so far as to reclassify oral CBD as a medicine.

Spain, Portugal, Germany decriminalize to better control consumption

While most European countries are extending the ban on neo-cannabinoids, the market continues to grow. Manufacturers continue to find ways of circumventing the various laws, offering products whose obscure composition cannot guarantee genuine safety.

After more than 60 years of war on drugs, France remains one of the European countries with the highest number of regular cannabis users.

Faced with this situation, Spain, Portugal and Germany have taken the opposite approach: decriminalizing cannabis in order to control consumption, and attempting to protect consumers by focusing on prevention rather than repression.

Given these varied approaches, the question remains: are decriminalization and regulation more effective than strict prohibition in controlling the use of neo-cannabinoids in Europe? Only the future and the legislative developments of the next few years will certainly provide us with the answers.

In any case, keep checking our blog regularly to make sure you're up to date with all the latest news from the world of CBD!