By KAZUHIRO FUJITANI/ Staff Writer
November 21, 2023 at 13:34 JST
Gummies with HHCH are lined up at a store in Osaka on Nov. 17. (Yuki Hanano)
The government will ban sales, possession and use of products containing hexahydrocannabishexol (HHCH), a synthetic compound similar to a mind-altering substance in marijuana, in response to illnesses caused by “cannabis gummies.”
The health ministry was to hold an expert panel meeting on Nov. 21 and designate HHCH as a dangerous drug under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law.
The ban will likely start on Dec. 2, sources said.
Since October, a number of people in Tokyo and Osaka have complained of feeling ill after eating cannabis gummies. Some of them were taken to hospitals.
On Nov. 17, ministry officials and other investigators conducted on-site inspections at five stores in Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture that sell cannabis gummies.
HHCH, which mimics tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana, was found in gummies at one store in Tokyo. THC can cause hallucinations and other symptoms.
The ministry on Nov. 20 also conducted an on-site inspection of a company in Osaka Prefecture that manufactures and sells gummies.
The Osaka company and the Tokyo store were ordered to stop selling the product until testing to determine all of the ingredients is finished.
The ministry has repeatedly regulated synthetic compounds similar to THC by listing each ingredient as a designated drug under the law.
However, the creators of such products often tweak the chemical makeup to create new, unregulated compounds, like HHCH. There is a possibility that products containing similar ingredients will continue to be distributed after HHCH is banned.
THC, including chemically synthesized THC, is subject to the Cannabis Control Law and other regulations. But cannabidiol (CBD), which is considered a less-harmful component of marijuana, is not.
CBD is extracted from certain parts of the cannabis plant and has antiepileptic effects. It is used for medicinal purposes in Europe and the United States.
In Japan, the Diet is currently discussing revisions to the Cannabis Control Law and other legislation to allow the use of CBD for medicinal purposes.
“CBD products” touting “relaxation” and “stress relief” are distributed in Japan in the form of edible oils, gummies and e-cigarette liquids.
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