Commissioner for Children joins calls to ban HHC sales

The Commissioner for Children is the latest among a number of organisations that have voiced thier concern on the widespread availability of HHC products locally.

Earlier this week, Caritas and three other church organisations called for the prohibition of sales of HHC products in Malta. This was prompted by a statement from the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC) in January, which had told the public to be weary of such products as HHC is not naturally found in cannabis plants and are not regulated in Malta.

READ ALSO: No indication government plans to regulate HHC products that have flooded the market

"The Office of the Commissioner for Children urges all relevant authorities to take action to ban the sale of these products so as to protect children," the Commissioner said in a statement on Friday.

The widespread availibility of such products in different forms was described as "extremely worrying," as the Commissioner also urged shops to refrain from selling these products. 

MaltaToday was the first to report on the growing availability of such products back in November 2023. Here, this newspaper reported that HHC products were being sold in shops, vending machines, and even on food courier services Bolt and Wolt.

HHC, short for hexahydrocannabinol, is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid whose popularity in Europe is on the rise as a cannabis substitute.