HHC – The (really) light beer of weed?

HHC, A.K.A. hexahydrocannabinol, is a “minor” cannabinoid first created in 1944 by a chemist who decided to add hydrogen molecules to Delta-9 THC, then smoke whatever came out of it. I made that last part up, but it seems plausible, right? This so-called “hydrogenation” converts THC into the aforementioned hexahydrocannabinol.

Fun Fact: Hydrogenation is similar to the process used to covert vegetable oil into margarine.

Apparently HHC spent decades being nothing more than a lab diversion, possibly because producing it at scale makes it kind of explode-y. Don’t walk into a room full of this stuff after walking on shag carpet with wool socks – it’ll be the last thing you do. HHC popped up on the weed scene a couple years ago, presumably after someone figured out how to manufacture it without blowing up their garage.

HHC is the latest chapter in the industry’s never-ending pursuit to figure out which of the hundred or so known cannabinoids will do something interesting to our brain holes. These days most HHC is derived from hemp, not marijuana, which makes it right at home under Minnesota’s current laws limiting us to hemp-derived products.

Though the state congress has prioritized legalizing recreational use of marijuana in 2023, for the moment Minnesota’s hemp THC laws are light on details, with no mention of HHC. Indeed, most of the country hasn’t gotten around to taking a close look at HHC and deciding how to regulate it, if at all.

So, for the moment, sprinkling HHC into a THC hemp gummy is not (yet) exactly illegal in Minnesota, even though HHC purportedly carries its own altering effects. We think. Actually, the weed community isn’t super sure. Evidence that I read was “anecdotal,” including the intriguing rumor/fantasy that HHC doesn’t show up on drug tests. This article is a good overview on HHC, if you want to get into the weeds (sorry).

On its own, an HHC high is said to be less psychoactive, but more energizing. Some sources say HHC is somewhere between Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC in terms of brain altering potency, but that likely depends on the dosage. I’ve seen other sources say its effects are weaker than Delta-8.

I’m not sure if this works, but I think an accurate comparison for jamming HHC into a THC gummy might be kind of like having a light beer after a fine whiskey. You’ll get more buzzed, but only kinda? I don’t know. I’ll workshop it.