10-OH-HHC: effects, dangers, reviews and legal status in France 2026
By the Golden High teamUpdated 9 November 202611 min read
Semi-synthetic cannabinoids
10-OH-HHC (or 10 OH HHC) is a derivative of HHC with an added hydroxyl group: a lab-made molecule that showed up in shops after HHC was banned in France in June 2023, and on which there are no human studies at all. In France it isn't named on the list of controlled drugs, but that doesn't make it legal: a 2024 ANSM decision classifies the whole chemical family it belongs to. Here's what's established, what isn't, and why Golden High doesn't sell it.
Amnesia Delta-P 12%
Our most popular flower: a moderate, stated level and a lemony profile. Under 0.3% THC, lab-tested.
From4,90 €View product →
Gelato Delta-P 10%
The entry point to the range: 10%, a sweet, creamy profile. So you know exactly what you're lighting.
From5,40 €View product →The definition
10-OH-HHC, a hydroxylated HHC.
To understand 10-OH-HHC, you have to start with HHC, hexahydrocannabinol: a lab-made, "hydrogenated" version of THC, which we cover in detail in HHC: what it is and why it's banned. 10-OH-HHC, or 10-hydroxy-hexahydrocannabinol, takes that skeleton and adds a hydroxyl group (–OH) on carbon number 10, the one next to the carbon carrying the methyl group.
It's not a molecule extracted from hemp. Sellers present it as an "HHC metabolite", a form the body would make itself. It's more nuanced than that: the body does transform HHC by hydroxylation, but studies mostly describe other positions (8, 11, side chain), and no publication we found measures the activity of 10-OH-HHC.
Where it comes from
A molecule born from a ban.
10-OH-HHC didn't hit the market because a lab found it had special qualities. It arrived because HHC had just been banned. That's how this market usually works: one molecule gets classified, a close relative the text doesn't name takes its place, with the same promises.
13 June 2023
HHC, HHC-O and HHC-P become controlled drugs in France (ANSM decision of 12 June 2023).
2024
Products labelled "10-OH-HHC" go on sale online, presented as HHC's successors.
3 June 2024
The ANSM decision of 22 May 2024 takes effect, classifying H4-CBD, H2-CBD and, generically, derivatives of the benzo[c]chromene core.
26 November 2024
Asked by a user, Drogues Info Service (the French drug helpline) replies that 10-OH-HHC is "currently" not classed as a controlled drug.
6 June 2025
The Conseil d'État (France's highest administrative court) rejects appeals by CBD businesses against the 2024 decision and upholds the generic classification.
What the sources say
Very little data, and none of it reassuring.
A search of PubMed, the reference database for medical literature, returns just one publication containing the term "10-OH-HHC" as of October 2026. And it isn't about its effects: it's about a product that didn't contain any. Here are the available benchmarks, all referenced at the bottom of the page.
Drug Testing and Analysis · 2025
Japanese researchers analyse two commercial e-liquids. One claims "80% 10-OH-HHC": they find no trace of the molecule, but CBD, CBN and two unknown compounds. Their conclusion: the labels can't be trusted.
Clinical Chemistry · 2025
The same team studies the metabolism of 18 HHC analogues on human liver microsomes. Hydroxylation is among the transformations observed, but the study measures neither the effects nor the toxicity of these forms.
Drogues Info Service · November 2024
The French public service says it has no information on recent hospital cases linked to 10-OH-HHC. No reports doesn't mean no risk.
ANSM and Anses · June 2025
Several hundred poisonings recorded in France since early 2024 among people who used products sold as CBD. In most cases: undeclared THC or synthetic cannabinoids.
Put simply: nobody knows at what dose 10-OH-HHC works, for how long, or what it does in the long run.
10-OH-HHC: effects and reviews
10-OH-HHC effects: stories, not measurements.
On sites selling it and in online reviews, 10-OH-HHC is described as "stronger" and "longer-lasting" than HHC, with marked relaxation and mild euphoria. Two caveats: these descriptions come from sellers or users, not studies, and there's no guarantee the product tried actually contained 10-OH-HHC.
What reviews say
A cannabis-like effect, a gradual onset, a relaxed feeling, a duration seen as longer than HHC. Side effects mentioned: dry mouth, drowsiness, headaches, anxiety at high doses.
What the data say
No human trials, no reference dose, no published measurement of its receptor affinity. The "stronger than HHC" claim isn't backed by any publication we could find.
10-OH-HHC: dangers
The real danger: not knowing what you're taking.
- No safety data. No toxicity study, no hindsight on repeated use, no information on interactions with alcohol or medicines.
- A composition nobody can check. The ANSM warns that what's in these products may not match the packaging, and that their concentration is "generally high and often unknown to the user".
- A direct link to HHC. For HHC and its derivatives, the ANSM recorded tremors, vomiting, anxiety, bad trips, confusion, fainting, racing heart, chest pain and blood pressure spikes.
- A risk of dependence. The agency considers that using these products carries, in the long run, a risk of abuse and dependence comparable to cannabis.
If someone feels unwell after using this kind of product (passing out, chest pain, acute panic attack), call 112 (or 15, the SAMU, in France). For other symptoms, poison control centres answer 24/7. Keep the product: it can be analysed.
Is 10-OH-HHC legal?
Is 10-OH-HHC banned? Not named, not legal.
It's the most asked question: is 10-OH-HHC legal or banned? Most answers you'll read are far too sure of themselves, one way or the other. The accurate wording, in France in November 2026: not named on the list, but not legal for all that. Here's what the texts contain.
- It isn't named. Neither the ANSM decision of 12 June 2023 (HHC, HHC-O, HHC-P) nor that of 22 May 2024 contains the words "10-OH-HHC".
- Drogues Info Service, 26 November 2024: "it is currently not classed as a controlled drug". But the answer only cites the June 2023 list and doesn't look at the 2024 decision.
- The 2024 decision targets a whole family. It classifies "any substance derived from the benzo[c]chromene core", whether or not its ring is hydrogenated, and whether or not it's substituted at certain positions (1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9).
- 10-OH-HHC is built on that core. It's an HHC, so a fully hydrogenated benzo[c]chromene, with an extra hydroxyl at position 10. That position isn't in the list of substitutions the text describes.
Does 10-OH-HHC fall under this generic definition? We found no public statement from the ANSM naming it, either way. Only the agency, or a judge, can decide. The Conseil d'État upheld the principle of this generic classification on 6 June 2025, and the ANSM has shown it can act fast: muscimol, for example, was added to the list of psychotropic substances by a decision of 2 July 2026, effective 11 July.
Key point: nobody can honestly tell you 10-OH-HHC is allowed in France. It isn't named, but it belongs to a chemical family classified since 3 June 2024. And a product labelled "10-OH-HHC" that actually contains HHC, THCP or more than 0.3% THC is a controlled drug: since 20 August 2026, use can then be hit with a €500 fixed penalty.
This section isn't legal advice. The reference texts are the ANSM decisions and annex IV of the French order of 22 February 1990, linked at the bottom of the page.
10-OH-HHC vs HHC
10-OH-HHC or HHC: what sets them apart.
| HHC | 10-OH-HHC | Delta-P (Golden High) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Hydrogenated THC, semi-synthetic | HHC with a hydroxyl at position 10 | Range made with CBDX |
| Scientific data | In vitro and animal studies, and a few human studies | No published effect studies | See our Delta-P page |
| Status in France | Controlled drug since 13/06/2023 | Not named; benzo[c]chromene family classified on 03/06/2024 | Products under 0.3% THC, lab-tested |
| Label reliability | Content "not always stated or accurate" (ANSM) | An "80%" product found with no 10-OH-HHC (2025) | Level stated on every product |
| Sold by Golden High | No | No | Yes |
10-OH-HHC combines HHC's flaw (a synthetic molecule sold without any checks) with the flaw of novelty (no hindsight). To place all these molecules: HHC, THC, THCP, Delta-P: the comparison.
10-OH-HHCP
10-OH-HHCP: same logic, even less data.
10-OH-HHCP (10 OH HHCP) follows the same principle: take HHC-P, a version of HHC with a longer side chain, and add a hydroxyl at position 10. It's sold as more "potent", often in vape cartridges. Two points are beyond debate:
- Its parent molecule, HHC-P, has been a controlled drug in France since 13 June 2023, at the same time as HHC (read HHC-P and HHC-O: what you need to know).
- We found no published study on its effects in humans or animals. What you read about its potency comes from sellers.
- Like 10-OH-HHC, it derives from the benzo[c]chromene core covered by the 2024 ANSM decision, without being named as far as we know.
Our position
Why Golden High doesn't sell it.
You sometimes read that 10-OH-HHC is an "interesting compromise". Nothing we found supports that. Golden High doesn't sell 10-OH-HHC, or HHC, or THCP. The shop only offers its Delta-P range, made with CBDX: products under 0.3% THC, lab-tested, with the level stated. The details are on our Delta-P page.
Be wary of acronyms
A new name every six months, an 80% level and no lab test: that's your cue to walk away, not to try it.
Demand a level and a lab test
In the Delta-P flowers collection, every product page states its level, from 10% for Gelato Delta-P to 12% for Amnesia Delta-P and up to 30%.
Start low
One or two puffs, then wait. Adults only, and never before driving, whatever the product.
Your questions
What people ask us about 10-OH-HHC.
Is 10-OH-HHC legal or banned in France?
Neither can be stated simply: it isn't named on the list of controlled drugs, but that doesn't make it legal. The ANSM decision in force since 3 June 2024 classifies derivatives of the benzo[c]chromene core, HHC's family, and the agency hasn't commented publicly on its case.
What is 10-OH-HHC?
A derivative of HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) carrying a hydroxyl group at position 10. It's a lab-made, semi-synthetic cannabinoid that came onto the market after HHC was banned in France in June 2023.
What are the effects of 10-OH-HHC?
The effects reported by sellers and users are cannabis-like: relaxation, mild euphoria, a duration seen as long. No human study has measured them, and there's no guarantee the products tried actually contained this molecule.
Is 10-OH-HHC dangerous?
Nobody can say it's safe: there's no toxicity data and no hindsight. For HHC and its derivatives, the ANSM recorded tremors, vomiting, anxiety attacks, racing heart and chest pain, as well as a risk of dependence.
What's the difference between 10-OH-HHC and HHC?
10-OH-HHC is an HHC with an added hydroxyl group. HHC has been a controlled drug in France since 13 June 2023 and has been studied; 10-OH-HHC has no published effect studies.
What is 10-OH-HHCP?
An HHC-P hydroxylated at position 10. Its parent molecule, HHC-P, has been a controlled drug in France since 13 June 2023, and no published study describes its effects. It also belongs to the benzo[c]chromene family classified in 2024.
What do forums say about 10-OH-HHC?
Forum reviews describe a cannabis-like effect, seen as longer than HHC, sometimes with anxiety, headaches or drowsiness. These are accounts of products whose composition nobody checked: in 2025, an e-liquid labelled "80% 10-OH-HHC" turned out to contain none in lab tests.
Does Golden High sell 10-OH-HHC?
No. Golden High only sells its Delta-P range, made with CBDX: products under 0.3% THC, lab-tested, with the level stated on every product page.
Sources
The references cited in this article.
- ANSM (2024, updated 2025). L'ANSM inscrit de nouveaux cannabinoïdes sur la liste des stupéfiants and text of the decision of 22/05/2024 amending the list of substances classed as controlled drugs (in French).
- ANSM (2023). L'ANSM classe l'hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) et deux de ses dérivés sur la liste des stupéfiants (in French).
- Conseil d'État, 6 June 2025, no. 494779. Decision published on ArianeWeb (in French).
- Drogues Info Service (26 November 2024). Interdiction des fleurs de CBD et 10-OH-HHC, Q&A section (in French).
- Drug Testing and Analysis (2025). Discrepancies between the stated contents and analytical findings for electronic cigarette liquid products: Identification of the new cannabinoid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabihexol acetate.
- Clinical Chemistry (2025). In Vitro Metabolic Profiling of 18 Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids, Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and Its Analogs; Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation (2024), Appearance of hexahydrocannabinols as recreational drugs and implications for cannabis drug testing.
- ANSM and Anses (2025). Augmentation des intoxications causées par des produits à base de CBD contenant d'autres substances (in French).
- Légifrance. Public Health Code, article L3421-1 (€500 fixed penalty, in force since 20 August 2026, in French).
