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Derived from the plant

HHCHexahydrocannabinol

Hydrogenated derivative of THC, obtained from CBD. The first semi-synthetic cannabinoid placed under international control (6 December 2025).

Narcotic: named in schedule
Level of detail

C₂₁H₃₂O₂

CAS 6692-85-9

Family
Semi-synthetic cannabinoidHydrogenated
Molar mass
316.50 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

HHC is a form of THC whose double bond has been saturated by hydrogenation, most often starting from hemp CBD. It comes in two forms (9R and 9S); the 9R form activates the CB1 receptor almost like THC. It has been classified as a narcotic in France since June 2023 and under international control since December 2025.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1 ((9R)-HHC)Partial agonistKi = 15 nM · human[3H]CP55940 displacement, Chem-1-hCB1 cell lysates
  • Activates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to HHC: one ring per factor of 100. A target with no measured value stays on the edge.

Where these targets live

Where each target has been found in humans, according to the cited studies. The map shows the target, not an effect of HHC.

Brain, side view
Body, front view
Blood

CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body

  1. Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
  2. CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
  3. HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
  4. AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
  5. CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
  6. Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
  7. GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4

Map sources

  1. Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
  2. Glass M et al. Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain. Neuroscience, 1997 (new tab)
  3. Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 2005 (new tab)
  4. Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)

Cited values

  1. CB1 ((9R)-HHC)Partial agonistKi = 15 nM · human64 out of 100

    Nasrallah DJ, Garg NK. Studies pertaining to the emerging cannabinoid hexahydrocannabinol (HHC). ACS Chem Biol 2023;18:2023-2029 (new tab) · [3H]CP55940 displacement, Chem-1-hCB1 cell lysates

  2. CB1 ((9S)-HHC)Partial agonistKi = 176 nM · human46 out of 100

    Nasrallah DJ, Garg NK. ACS Chem Biol 2023;18:2023-2029 (new tab) · [3H]CP55940 displacement, Chem-1-hCB1 cell lysates

  3. CB2 ((9R)-HHC)AgonistKi = 13 nM · human65 out of 100

    Nasrallah DJ, Garg NK. ACS Chem Biol 2023;18:2023-2029 (new tab) · [3H]WIN 55212-2 displacement, CHO-hCB2 cell lysates

  4. CB2 ((9S)-HHC)AgonistKi = 105 nM · human50 out of 100

    Nasrallah DJ, Garg NK. ACS Chem Biol 2023;18:2023-2029 (new tab) · [3H]WIN 55212-2 displacement, CHO-hCB2 cell lysates

Bar length follows the measured value (Ki, Kd, EC50 or IC50), on one scale shared by every entry, from 100 µM to 0.1 nM. A target with no cited value has no bar.

Pharmacology

HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) was described as early as 1940 by Roger Adams, but it only appeared on the market in September 2021 in the United States, then in May 2022 in Europe, where it is the first semi-synthetic cannabinoid reported (EMCDDA 2023). According to the EUDA, it is semi-synthetic by origin: the product sold is obtained from CBD extracted from hemp; traces may co-occur with CBN in cannabis samples. Market products are mixtures of the (9R) and (9S) epimers, on average in a 1.4:1 ratio (WHO 2024), but the certificates of analysis of more than 60 products range from 0.2:1 to 2.4:1 (Nasrallah and Garg, 2023). At human receptors, (9R)-HHC binds CB1 with a Ki of 15 nM, like Δ9-THC in the same study, while (9S)-HHC has about 12 times lower affinity (176 nM); both are partial agonists. In humans, HHC undergoes hepatic hydroxylation (mainly to 11-OH-9R-HHC and 9R-HHC-COOH) then glucuronidation, and its metabolites react with THC-COOH immunoassays (WHO 2024). An uncontrolled study in six people described effects comparable to those of THC (Höfert et al., 2025). HHC is classified as a narcotic in France by the ANSM decision of 12 June 2023 (ban effective on 13 June 2023); decision 68/5 of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs placed it in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention, with effect from 6 December 2025.

Key sources.

History

Source
Semi-synthetic (market product obtained from CBD); traces reported in cannabis, possibly artefactual

Route of preparation

Chemical process

No characterised biosynthesis. Market HHC is generally obtained from CBD, cyclised to Δ9- or Δ8-THC and then hydrogenated, which gives a mixture of the (9R) and (9S) epimers (WHO 2024). Traces may appear in cannabis samples through disproportionation of Δ9-THC into HHC and CBN (EMCDDA 2023).

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Semi-synthetic cannabinoid › Hydrogenated

Chemistry

C5 side chain · neutral form

Natural trace reported

HHC « may also co-occur with cannabinol in low amount in cannabis samples »; it is thought to form through disproportionation of Δ9-THC, possibly catalysed by traces of acid during analysis (EMCDDA 2023). WHO describes it as « found in trace amounts as a phytocannabinoid in certain cannabis strains ». Its presence is possibly an artefact.

EMCDDA (Ujváry et al.), Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and related substances, 2023, p. 45 (new tab)

Verification

Every fact on this entry was checked against its primary sources on 20 October 2026.

Wikipedia (English)

Hexahydrocannabinol (new tab)

Article paired by the molecule's structure (InChIKey), revision read on 19 October 2026. Read as a second opinion, never cited as a source.

References

  1. WHO ECDD 47, Critical review report: Hexahydrocannabinol, 2024 (new tab)
  2. EMCDDA (Ujváry et al.), Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and related substances, 2023 (new tab)
  3. Nasrallah DJ, Garg NK. ACS Chem Biol 2023;18:2023-2029 (new tab)PMID 37578929
  4. Höfert L et al. Preliminary pharmacokinetic and psychophysical investigations after controlled oral and inhalative consumption of HHC. Sci Rep 2025 (new tab)PMID 40128283
  5. CND, report on the 68th session (E/2025/28), decision 68/5 (new tab)
  6. ANSM, decision of 12/06/2023 amending the list of substances classified as narcotics (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

Common name
Hexahydrocannabinol
IUPAC name
6,6,9-trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,9,10,10a-hexahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol
Other names
Hexahydro-CBN · HXC · (9R/9S)-HHC

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₁H₃₂O₂
CAS
6692-85-9
PubChem CID
522237(new tab)
InChIKey
XKRHRBJLCLXSGE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
CCCCCC1=CC(=C2C3CC(CCC3C(OC2=C1)(C)C)C)O

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.

In the Journal