On Friday, May 24, the National Agency for Medicines Safety (ANSM) classified new compounds derived from cannabis on the list of narcotics that will be prohibited as of June 3 due to their “risks” to health.
The molecules in question are the semi-synthetic cannabinoids H4-CBD and H2-CBD, resulting from the transformation of natural plant substances through a chemical process, and purely synthetic cannabinoids.
“Serious effects on the health of users”
Sold especially on the Internet and in CBD stores, these products come in the form of oil, resin, herb, spray, candies or gummies, liquids for electronic cigarettes.
“As of June 3, its production, sale and use will be prohibited in France,” the anti-drug police announced in a statement.
This decision comes “after reports of consumption that have caused serious effects on the health of users,” Agnès Laforest-Bruneaux, deputy director of the ANSM surveillance service, explained to AFP.
“Dependency” risk
These substances are classified as narcotics because they have “psychoactive effects, they act on the central nervous system, on aspects of perception, sensations, and the state of consciousness,” explains the specialist.
“They present risks to the consumer because they imitate the effects of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, with serious and more intense effects than those felt with cannabis consumption,” he warns.
The ANSM also warns that “these products run the risk of causing dependence” as is the case with cannabis, and that their composition “may not correspond to that indicated on the packaging of the product sold.”
“Careful monitoring”
Its consumption can cause immediate effects such as vomiting, loss of consciousness, coma, seizures, paranoia, anxiety, high blood pressure, tachycardia, the public authority lists.
“Since September 1, 2023, 90 cases have been reported to the drug addiction-addiction surveillance and evaluation centers (CEIP-A), 40% of which resulted in admission to the emergency room or hospitalization,” according to the ANSM.
The agency maintains “close monitoring of the appearance of new cannabinoids on the market and their effects on health”, within the framework of the CEIP-A. It is therefore willing to adopt “if necessary, astonishing additional classifications”, according to Agnès Laforest-Bruneaux.
Products based on hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), a molecule derived from cannabis, have been banned for almost a year in France. Unlike THC, CBD is not included in the decision to classify it on the list of narcotic drugs because “it does not present a risk of abuse or dependence,” the ANSM specifies.
Source: BFM TV
