Cannabis synthetic ‘Spice’ has been the center of controversy for many years, with government lines saying its highly dangerous, but its massive ubiquitous nature (and the lack of any real issues), saying otherwise. Where did this synthetic compound come from? And how is it related to cannabis synthetic HHC?
Cannabis synthetic compounds like HHC and Spice are available for those who want to try them, but users should beware of where they get their products from. On the other hand, plenty of companies are selling more above board products like delta-8 THC, which is a naturally occurring alternative to delta-9, which creates less psychoactive effect, and produces less anxiety, making it preferable for many people. Make sure to subscribe to The Delta 8 Weekly Newsletter for exclusive deals on Delta 8, Delta 10, THCV, and THCO, and to find out which THC is best for you.
What is HHC?
The reason I’m starting with the cannabis synthetic HHC, is because it happens to be the newest cannabis compound to make it to the public. In the last couple years, tons of cannabis compounds have made an appearance on the pubic stage, to varying levels of interest. For the most part, many of these compounds are found to be interesting, but haven’t done much to drive sales extensively. Some of this is probably because of shaky legal ground, and some of it is probably because the compounds themselves appear in small amounts only, and often require synthetization techniques that go far beyond basic extractions.
There are different kinds of compounds that have come to the public’s attention of late. Other delta-THCs like delta-8 and delta-10. Other cannabinoids like CBL, CBC, and CBN. And a range of synthetics like THC-O-Acetate, and now HHC. What is this last one? Well, it’s actual name is a long one: 9-Nor-9β-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol. Quite a mouthful, huh? And it’s a synthetic cannabinoid derivative, which came from when THC was being studied early on, and modifications were made to its structure. The goal had been to find the simplest compounds that could still bind to receptors and produce a response. HHC is therefore a more simplified version of delta-9, and closely related to it.
HHC compounds have been studied a little, but not a huge amount is known about them. Interested parties can check out studies like this one to gain a little more info, but for the most part, very little exists in the medical world to speak of. This has not stopped the compound from being sold, although whether this is a good idea or not, is certainly debatable.
What is Spice?
‘Spice’ is a term to designate a synthetic cannabinoid, not unlike any other synthetic cannabinoid that we speak about on this site. Synthetics bind to the same receptors, creating essentially, the same response in users, which is often why a user won’t know if they’re using a natural compound, or a synthetic. Honestly, I’ve smoked plenty of black market vapes which I know were some kind of synthetic, and I found very little difference.
Since the majority of synthetics were designed off of delta-9, they act as agonists at receptor sites, meaning they promote a response. Sometimes, the synthetics have even stronger binding abilities than their naturally occurring counterparts. There isn’t just one kind of synthetic. In fact, there are several classes of synthetic cannabinoids that are given names based on structural attributes, though in the past they were named in different ways, often by the place where they were found.
If you’ll notice, none of this is specific to the term ‘Spice’, as ‘Spice’ is simply a name used to denote ‘synthetic cannabinoids’. Just like it’s other well-known name, K2. These are simply street names, and do not denote a specific synthetic necessarily.
What’s the connection between cannabis synthetic HHC and Spice?
So how is the synthetic cannabis compound HHC related to synthetic cannabinoids considered Spice? Good question. HHC was studied a bit when it was first found, and even went through animal testing which showed it to be a safe compound. However, it never caught on, and it never developed into any kind of pharmaceutical product. That might have been the end of the story, except that about 25 years after HHC was being studied, a derivative of it was found out on the street as the main ingredient in synthetic cannabis being sold.
This derivative, considered obscure at the time (though not so much now), is called cannabicyclohexanol, or (C8)-CP 47,497. Where did it come from, though? Was it made for the street specifically in some basement lab? Not at all. This compound was made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer in 1979. In 2009, a German report came out saying that it had found an analog to CP 47,497, and that it was being used in an incense product called ‘Spice’.
Obviously, Pfizer never did anything with this compound, which isn’t terribly weird considering how many compounds were created and studied, just to be tossed aside, much like HHC. And much like synthetic HHC, it made a name for itself not by being used by the company that found it, but as a street drug. HHC was not found to be dangerous in testing, so the idea it wasn’t used for safety issues, doesn’t seem to be the case. And considering how widespread Spice is, and how few problems there are related to it, it also would appear to be generally safe, although the government has certainly put a lot of effort into having you think otherwise, probably because its a synthetic not being profited from by big pharma.
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