203. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the reason her Department has not commenced an information and awareness campaign on the use of HHC products and the associated harms, especially in young people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24020/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister for Health: I would like to make the Deputy aware of various media with which to access information on the use of drugs.

People are encouraged to follow HSE social media channels @drugsdotie for updates about drug trends, including synthetic cannabinoids such as HHC.

The HSE also has factsheets available for parents on various the topic of related to cannabis and resources for parents who want to discuss the topic of substance use with their teens

• Drugs.ie ‘About synthetic cannabinoids’
• Drugs.ie Risk Communication on cannabis jellies adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids
• Drugs.ie Cannabis edible factsheet for concerned parents
• Drugs.ie Cannabis edible factsheet for people who use

Information in relation to HHC and the health risks associated with it is also available on Drugs.ie: https://www.drugs.ie/drugtypes/drug/hexahydrocannabinol_hhc

The HSE parents’ guide is available in the parent section on drugs.ie and helps support parents on delivering prevention and education on the topic of drugs.

Prevention and Education

• Drug prevention for children & young people has been a strong priority in the National Drugs Strategy which commits to strengthening the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people.
• Drug prevention was also a key theme during the Citizens Assembly on Drug Use, resulting in a recommendation that asks the Departments of Health and Education, in conjunction with the HSE to design and implement a comprehensive, age-appropriate school-based drug prevention strategy for primary school children, junior and senior cycle secondary students, and wider community settings, as well as their parents/guardians and teachers.
• To this end, the Department of Health secured a €1.5 million budget in 2023 to run over 3 years to support effective, evidence-based drug prevention and education programmes, and to build on current evidence-based initiatives. This is the first-time Government funding specifically geared at prevention has been provided.
• Central to drug prevention in schools in ‘Know the Score’, the HSE’s school-based prevention programme which is aimed at engaging young people in exploring and considering a wide range of topics related to the risks associated with alcohol and drugs.