236. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the HSE’s plans to conduct research on the prevalence and use of cannabinoids in vapes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34427/23]

Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State at the Department of Health: The National Drugs Strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery, ‘A health-led response to drug and alcohol use in Ireland 2017-2025’, sets out a health-led approach to drug use. The strategy supports high quality monitoring, evaluation, and research to ensure evidence-informed policies and practice.

Ireland has good information on substance misuse. Routine monitoring provides information on the nature, extent and consequences of substance misuse needed to formulate evidence-informed policy, plan services and measure the effectiveness of the responses to this problem. In fulfilment of both European and national requirements, Ireland’s monitoring system collects and analyses data on drug use in the general and school-going population, treatment demand, high-risk drug use and the consequences, such as infectious diseases, deaths, and overdose.

Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) was first identified in Europe in May 2022 and was put under intensive monitoring at the end of 2022 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA ). It is the first semi-synthetic cannabinoid reported in the EU and has been monitored as a New Psychoactive Substance by the EU Early Warning System since October 2022.

Early warning in Ireland is co-ordinated by the EMCDDA National Focal Point and the Early Warning, Emerging Trends (EWET) working group chaired by the Department of Health. EWET continues to monitor the emergence and use of this substance in Ireland. At present, there is limited information on the availability and use of HHC in Eu

According to a small number of laboratory studies, HHC appears to have broadly similar effects to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive substance in cannabis. The pharmacological and behavioural effects of HHC in humans have not been studied, although recent anecdotal reports from consumers indicate that its effects might be similar to that of cannabis. The EMCDDA has responded to the potential public health and social risks from this new substance with a range of actions, including the production of a technical report in April 2023.

The HSE will add content about HHC to its website Drugs.ie but this information will be limited to the information available from the EMCDDA. The core messaging relating to HHC should highlight that there is limited available information and very little known about the risks associated with this substance and the extent of its use in Ireland.

There was no evidence of use of HHC, during recent nighttime economy drug monitoring initiatives at festival settings. The HSE will continue to liaise with the EMCDDA, and the Early Warning and Emerging Trends (EWET) group chaired by the Department of Health for further direction on this substance.

With regard to synthetic cannabinoids, the HSE has comprehensive harm reduction information about the substances available on drugs.ie, which is available at www.drugs.ie/synthetic_cannabinoids_in_ireland_hse_update_october_2021/. The HSE also issued an alert regarding cannabis edibles contaminated with synthetic cannabinoids earlier this year, which can be found at www.drugs.ie/news/article/hse_drug_trend_risk_communication_on_cannabis_jellies_adulterated_with_synt. The HSE is not currently conducting research on cannabinoids in vapes.