Government Bans Sale of 38 Products, Including Cannabis Gummies

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:36 JST, December 21, 2023

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced Thursday that it has banned online and in-store sales of 38 products believed to contain ingredients similar to the synthetic compound in “cannabis gummies.”

The health ministry has banned the possession, use and sale of products containing the synthetic compound HHCH, or hexahydrocannabihexol, since Dec. 2.

However, cookies and gummies labeled with ingredients similar to HHCH have been widely sold, and the ministry has confirmed at least six cases of emergency medical care since November for people who consumed such products.

The health ministry’s Narcotics Control Department conducted on-site inspections of stores and other facilities in December, and decided to ban the sale and advertising of 38 products that are likely to be sold in a wide area.

The ministry plans to comprehensively add HHCH-like synthetic compounds to its list of designated drugs at the beginning of the year.