10-OH-HHC: effects, risks and its legal status in France in 2026
By the Golden High teamUpdated 9 October 202611 min read
Novel cannabinoids
10-OH-HHC is a derivative of HHC with an added hydroxyl group (an oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen): a lab-made molecule that turned up in shops after France banned HHC in June 2023, and one on which there are no human studies at all. Its status in France is less clear-cut than most of what you'll read: the ANSM (the French medicines agency) doesn't mention it by name, but a 2024 decision covers a whole chemical family it sits very close to. Here's what is established, what isn't, and why Golden High doesn't sell it. Everything below describes the situation in France, not the law where you live.
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10-OH-HHC, a hydroxylated HHC.
To understand 10-OH-HHC, you have to start with HHC, hexahydrocannabinol: a “hydrogenated” version of THC, made in a lab, which we covered in detail in What is HHC 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 isn't a molecule you extract from hemp. Sellers present it as an “HHC metabolite”, a form the body supposedly makes by itself after taking HHC. It's more nuanced than that: the body does transform HHC by hydroxylation, but studies mostly describe other positions (8, 11, the side chain). We found no publication establishing 10-OH-HHC as the main metabolite, or measuring its activity.
Where it comes from
A molecule born out of a ban.
10-OH-HHC didn't reach the market because a lab found some merit in it. It arrived because HHC had just been banned. That's how this market usually works: one molecule gets listed, a neighbour 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” are sold online, pitched as the successors to HHC.
3 June 2024
The ANSM decision of 22 May 2024 comes into force in France, listing H4-CBD, H2-CBD and, in generic terms, derivatives of the benzo[c]chromene core.
26 November 2024
Asked by a member of the public, Drogues Info Service, France's public drug information service, replies that 10-OH-HHC is “currently” not classed as a controlled drug.
6 June 2025
France's Conseil d'État (its highest administrative court) rejects the challenges brought by CBD businesses against the 2024 decision and upholds the generic classification.
That whole sequence, from HHC to what's sold today, is traced in HHC banned: what replaced it.
What the sources say
Very little data, and none of it reassuring.
A search on 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 reference points available, all listed 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 that molecule in it, 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 admissions linked to 10-OH-HHC. No reports doesn't mean no risk.
ANSM and Anses · June 2025
In France, several hundred poisonings recorded since early 2024 among people who had used products presented as CBD. In most cases: undeclared THC or synthetic cannabinoids.
Put plainly: nobody knows at what dose 10-OH-HHC acts, for how long, or what it does in the long run.
10-OH-HHC: effects and reviews
The effects of 10-OH-HHC: stories, not measurements.
On the sites that sell 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 from studies, and nothing guarantees that the product tried actually contained 10-OH-HHC.
What the reviews say
A cannabis-type effect, a gradual onset, a feeling of relaxation, and a duration judged longer than HHC's. Side effects mentioned: dry mouth, drowsiness, headaches, anxiety at high doses.
What the data say
No human trial, no reference dose, no published measurement of its affinity for the receptors. The “stronger than HHC” comparison rests on no publication we were able to find.
A “10-OH-HHC review” describes one person's experience with one particular product, not the molecule.
10-OH-HHC: the risks
The real risk: not knowing what you're taking.
- No safety data. No toxicity study, no track record of repeated use, no information on interactions with alcohol or medicines.
- A composition you can't 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 consumer”.
- A direct kinship with HHC. For HHC and its derivatives, the ANSM noted tremors, vomiting, anxiety, bad trips, confusion, feeling faint, a racing heart, chest pain and spikes in blood pressure.
- A risk of dependence. The agency considers that using these products carries, over the long term, a risk of abuse and dependence comparable to that of cannabis.
If you feel seriously unwell after using a product of this kind (loss of consciousness, chest pain, an acute panic attack): in France, call 15 (SAMU); anywhere in Europe, call 112. For other symptoms, contact a poison centre. Keep the product: it can be analysed.
It's the same story as THCP, covered in What is THCP? Effects, risks and legal status.
Is 10-OH-HHC legal?
Its status in France: what the texts say.
It's the question that comes up most, and most of the answers you'll read are too sure of themselves, one way or the other. Here's what the French texts actually contain; they say nothing about the law in your country.
- It isn't mentioned by name. Neither the ANSM decision of 12 June 2023 (HHC, HHC-O, HHC-P) nor the one of 22 May 2024 contains the words “10-OH-HHC”.
- Drogues Info Service, 26 November 2024: “currently it is not classed as a controlled drug”. That answer, however, only cites the June 2023 list and doesn't look at the 2024 decision.
- The 2024 decision covers a whole family. It lists “any substance derived from the benzo[c]chromene core”, whether its ring is hydrogenated or not, and whether or not it is 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 described by the text.
Does 10-OH-HHC fall within that generic definition? We found no public position from the ANSM that names it, one way or the other. Only the agency, or a court, can settle it. The Conseil d'État, for its part, upheld the principle of this generic classification on 6 June 2025.
Key takeaway: nobody can honestly tell you that 10-OH-HHC is permitted in France. It isn't named, but it belongs to a chemical family listed since 3 June 2024, and the ANSM says it is watching for new cannabinoids as they appear. And a product labelled “10-OH-HHC” that actually contains HHC, THCP or more than 0.3% THC is, in France, a controlled drug.
This section isn't legal advice and only concerns France. 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 vs HHC: what sets them apart.
| HHC | 10-OH-HHC | Delta-P (Golden High) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hydrogenated THC, semi-synthetic | HHC with a hydroxyl at position 10 | CBDX-based range |
| Scientific data | In vitro and animal studies, plus a few human studies | No published study of its effects | See our Delta-P page |
| Status in France | Controlled drug since 13 June 2023 | Not mentioned by name; benzo[c]chromene family listed on 3 June 2024 | Products below 0.3% THC, lab-tested |
| Label reliability | Content “not always specified or accurate” (ANSM) | “80%” product found with no 10-OH-HHC (2025) | Level shown on every product |
| Sold by Golden High | No | No | Yes |
10-OH-HHC combines the flaw of HHC (a synthetic molecule sold with no oversight) with the flaw of anything brand new (no track record). To see where all these molecules stand: HHC, THC, THCP, Delta-P: the comparison.
Where we stand
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, based on CBDX: products below 0.3% THC, lab-tested, with the level clearly shown. The details are on our Delta-P page.
Be wary of acronyms
A new name every six months, an 80% level and no lab report: that's your cue to walk away, not to give it a go.
Insist on a level and a lab report
In the Delta-P flowers collection, every product page shows 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 in France?
Nobody can say so for sure. The ANSM doesn't mention it by name, and Drogues Info Service stated on 26 November 2024 that it wasn't classed. But the ANSM decision in force since 3 June 2024 lists derivatives of the benzo[c]chromene core, HHC's chemical family, and the agency hasn't taken a public position on this case. This article only describes the situation in France; the status varies from country to country, so check the current rules where you live.
What is 10-OH-HHC?
A derivative of HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) carrying a hydroxyl group at position 10. It's a semi-synthetic cannabinoid, made in a lab, that appeared on the market after France banned HHC 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 judged to be long. No human study has measured them, and nothing guarantees that the products tried really contained this molecule.
Is 10-OH-HHC dangerous?
Nobody can say it's safe: there are no toxicity data and no track record. For HHC and its derivatives, the ANSM noted tremors, vomiting, panic attacks, a 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 classed as a controlled drug in France since 13 June 2023 and has been studied; no study of 10-OH-HHC's effects has been published.
Can you trust 10-OH-HHC reviews?
They describe an experience with a product, not the molecule. In 2025, researchers analysed an e-liquid labelled “80% 10-OH-HHC”: it contained none. So a review doesn't tell you what you'd actually be taking.
Does 10-OH-HHC show up on a saliva drug test?
No published data can answer that. Cross-reactions have been observed between some THC screening tests and HHC, which it closely resembles. Either way, you don't drive after using.
Does Golden High sell 10-OH-HHC?
No. Golden High only sells its Delta-P range, based on CBDX: products below 0.3% THC, lab-tested, with the level shown on every product page.
Sources
The references cited in this article.
- ANSM (2024, updated in 2025). The ANSM adds new cannabinoids to the list of controlled drugs and the text of the decision of 22 May 2024 amending the list of substances classed as controlled drugs (in French).
- ANSM (2023). The ANSM adds hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) and two of its derivatives to the list of controlled drugs (in French).
- Conseil d'État (France's highest administrative court), 6 June 2025, no. 494779. Decision published on ArianeWeb (in French).
- Drogues Info Service (26 November 2024). Ban on CBD flowers and 10-OH-HHC, “Your questions / Our answers” 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). Rise in poisonings caused by CBD-based products containing other substances (in French).
