Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1514428
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JANUARY 2024 NEWS No indication government plans to regulate HHC products that have flooded the market Call for Expression of Interest: Provision of Psychologist Services for Staff at the Office of the Attorney General The Office of the Attorney General cordially invites expressions of interest from warranted psychologists who are interested to deliver psychological services to support its legal and non-legal staff members. The Office is seeking the services of a committed psychologist capable of providing from their designated premises psychological support to its staff once a week, dedicating two to three hours per morning/afternoon session. The primary objective is to extend support aimed at enriching the well-being, stress management, and fortifying the mental resilience of its staff within the demanding landscape of their respective roles. Prospective applicants interested in this engagement are kindly requested to express their interest by submitting a sealed comprehensive curriculum vitae (CV) accompanied by a detailed letter delineating their approach to deliver- ing psychological services and demonstrating their relevant experience. Moreover, applicants are requested to include their proposed fee per hour for these sessions for a period of two years. This information should be explicitly stated in the submitted letter. Kindly direct the CV, letter of interest, and the proposed fee per hour (inclusive of VAT ) to the attention of the Head of Corporate Services Provision of Psychologist Services Office of the Attorney General Admiralty House 53 South Str Valletta VLT1101 By not later Friday 9 th February 2024. GOVERNMENT is keeping its cards close to its chest about regulating the psychoactive com- pound HHC, which is a synthetic form of cannabis that is currently legal. HHC, short for hexahydrocan- nabinol, is a semi-synthetic can- nabinoid whose popularity in Eu- rope is on the rise as a cannabis substitute. Last November, Mal- taToday had reported that a va- riety of HHC products are being sold in shops, vending machines, and even on food courier services Bolt and Wolt. The Authority for the Responsi- ble Use of Cannabis (ARUC) has no legal remit to regulate these products despite its psychoactive qualities as they contain less than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive compound found in cannabis. On 8 January, ARUC voiced its concern on the widely available semi-synthetic cannabis prod- ucts in Malta, advising consum- ers to be wary of such products. MaltaToday asked the Reforms Parliamentary Secretariat, which birthed ARUC and legalised can- nabis, whether the government is considering a change in legisla- tion regarding HHC. While the ministry was not ex- plicit in its statement, a spokes- person said: "In light of these circumstances, the government remains committed to adopting an evidence-based approach and recognises the invaluable expert advice from the European Moni- toring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) to navi- gate health, legal, and social ram- ifications linked with the spread of semi-synthetic cannabinoids like HHC." The spokesperson said govern- ment and ARUC have established a "multi-disciplinary consultative committee to discuss this subject and identify what actions need to be taken." This will be done to raise aware- ness about the risks linked to sim- ilar substances while monitoring the spread of such products with- in EU markets. This is particu- larly crucial in the case of items like sweets that are designed to appeal to young or non-cannabis users. Andrew Bonello, president of Releaf, a cannabis advocacy group, underscored the impor- tance of differentiating HHC products from natural cannabis. Bonello stated that the presence of HHC in European markets is, "a workaround to the law which bans THC." He explained that prohibition of cannabis in certain countries has led to this innovation, which is not strictly illicit, given the lack of laws that govern HHC. "When you cannot access can- nabis in a regulated manner, but you can access products like HHC which are not banned, then obviously those are going to be found in shops," Bonello said. Long-time cannabis users won't go anywhere near HHC, he in- sisted. The cannabis legislation advocate noted that the fact that these products have cropped up all over Malta has nothing to do with the fact that Malta legalised cannabis for personal use, citing HHC's popularity in European countries where cannabis re- mains illegal. Bonello cited the lack of avail- ability of legal cannabis despite more than two years since Malta legalised personal use. Despite the differences between HHC products and natural can- nabis, Bonello did not call for a prohibition of the products. "Prohibition does not lead to the eradication of that product, it just makes it go underground," he noted. Bonello explained that current- ly, HHC products are labelled as such, giving the consumer infor- mation about the product. He said that a ban might even see HHC being sold on the street as natural cannabis. He stated that other European countries are also trying to wrap their heads around HHC's reg- ulation, with some 11 countries attempting to ban or heavily reg- ulate the product. Interestingly, the Czech Repub- lic, which is the country of origin of many HHC products found in Malta, is currently trying to reg- ulate, rather than ban the sub- stance. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Vending machine selling HHC products