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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 moving fast. So we takea quick look at which cannabinoids will be legal and which will be banned in 2025.
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 degrees of complexity were created. Mixed or sprayed on different herbal blends, they became known as "Spice" Gold, Silver or Diamond, "K2", "Bliss", "Black Mamba", "Bombay Blue", "Blaze", "Genie", "Zohai", "JWH-018, -073, -250", "Kronic", "Yucatan Fire", "Skunk", "Moon Rocks", "Mr. Smiley"...
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 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 is not meeting the demand for recreational products with psychoactive and psychotropic effects. That's how CBD derivatives entered the scene 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:
This leaves only a handful of countries, such as Portugal and Spain, which have a more permissive policy, preferring prevention to prohibition.
After its ban in most European countries, HHC was replaced by a whole host of new molecules, the list of which grew steadily until June 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 :
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:
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.
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
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 is an alkaloid. It is one of the two psychoactive molecules in fly agaric. The second, ibotenic acid, is neurotoxic.
One example is CBDP, a natural minor cannabinoid as close to CBD as THCP is to THC.
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 :
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!
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