Malta officially bans HHC, 14 other synthetic cannabinoids

Malta has officially banned the sale of HHC, a synthetic chemical that mimics the effects of cannabis and had been completely unregulated.

Last year, MaltaToday reported that the local market HHC products had expanded substantially. A number of businesses sold cookies, vapes and other HHC products in various outlets across the islands, with the products even being available on Wolt and Bolt. 

In a press briefing on Monday, parliamentary secretary for reforms, Rebecca Buttigieg, and the CEO of the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC), Joey Reno Vella explained that the uncontrollable and unregulated manner in which HHC products were sold required action. 

At the beginning of the year, ARUC itself had warned against the use of HHC products, echoing the concerns of a number of NGOs.

During the briefing, it was underlined that the rise in the availability of HHC products has no connection with the decriminalisation of cannabis, stressing that HHC products have nothing to do with natural cannabis. 

“The situation with HHC was undermining the purpose of the cannabis reform,” Buttigieg stated, noting that the reform’s intention was to give cannabis users a regulated and safe product.

Legal Notice 238, which was effective since last September, doesn’t only prohibit HHC products. The legal notice also prohibits 14 other forms of synthetic cannabinoids whose popularity abroad is also increasing.

During the press briefing, it was further explained that enforcement measures are underway to make sure that HHC products are confiscated, noting that such products will be treated as any other illicit substance.