HHC has been banned in Spain since 23 April 2025, together with THCP, THC-O, HHCP, H4-CBD and the other semi-synthetic cannabinoids that were sold as “legal weed”. Ministerial Order SND/380/2025 added them to Schedule II of Spain’s psychotropic substances regulation (Royal Decree 2829/1977), so manufacturing, selling and possessing them outside a medical or scientific setting became illegal overnight. Products that were sold for three years in CBD shops and online as a “legal” alternative to cannabis now have the same status as any other controlled substance. If HHC is still on sale where you live, bear in mind that it will not be waiting for you in Seville.
Between 2022 and 2025 something odd happened in Spain. Flowers, disposable vapes and gummies appeared promising an effect close to cannabis without breaking any law. They were sold in broad daylight, with lab-style labels and three- or four-letter names hardly anyone could pronounce. Then a ministerial order came along and, in less than a week, all of it vanished from the shelves.
Plenty of visitors still arrive in Seville expecting to find HHC the way they would at home, so this article explains what those “legal weed” products actually were, how they were made, why they looked legal, what led the Spanish Ministry of Health to ban them and what all of this means for anyone who consumes cannabis in Seville.
Important note: at Green City we do not promote the use of cannabis or of any other substance. We are a private, non-profit association of adults who are already consumers. This article is informative and aimed at harm reduction: understanding what was being sold as “legal” and why it no longer is forms part of responsible, informed consumption.
In this article
What “legal weed” was: HHC, THCP and friends
Start from one simple idea. The cannabis plant naturally produces well over a hundred cannabinoids, and Spanish law only listed the main ones by name: THC, the compound behind the psychoactive effect, and its best-known forms. CBD, which does not get you high, was left off those lists, which is why industrial hemp and CBD products have been on the market for years. If you want these terms explained properly, our cannabis glossary covers them.
Around 2021 the industry found a shortcut. Starting with legal hemp CBD (cheap and plentiful) and running it through laboratory chemistry, you could obtain molecules very close to THC that, technically, appeared on no list of controlled substances. That is how semi-synthetic cannabinoids were born: compounds that exist in the plant in tiny amounts, or not at all, produced at industrial scale from a legal precursor.
The best seller was HHC (hexahydrocannabinol), made by hydrogenating THC derived from CBD: the same reaction that turns vegetable oil into margarine, applied to a cannabinoid. It was followed by THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol), which in laboratory studies binds to cannabinoid receptors far more strongly than THC; THC-O, an acetylated version; HHCP and its acetates (HHC-O, HHCP-O); and H4-CBD, a hydrogenated CBD with some psychoactive activity.
In practice, a “legal joint” was almost always a CBD flower sprayed with a distillate of one of these compounds, and the same went for CBD hash. Disposable vapes, oils and gummies were sold too. The pitch was twofold: an effect similar to cannabis and, supposedly, no trouble with the law or with roadside tests. Neither promise was as solid as it sounded.
HHC, THCP, THC and CBD side by side
Much of the confusion of those years came from lumping very different things together. This table sums up what sets each compound apart, with its current legal status in Spain. Potency figures are indicative: for the semi-synthetics they come mostly from laboratory studies and user reports rather than clinical trials.
| Compound | Origin | Psychoactive | What is known about its safety | Legal status in Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) | Natural, the plant’s main cannabinoid | Yes | Decades of research; effects and risks well documented | Controlled Use only in private; sale prohibited |
| CBD (cannabidiol) | Natural, abundant in industrial hemp | No | Well-studied safety profile; approved medicines exist | Legal With limits: not authorised in Spain as a food or for ingestion |
| HHC (hexahydrocannabinol) | Semi-synthetic: hydrogenation of THC obtained from CBD | Yes, somewhat weaker than THC according to available reports | No clinical trials; poisoning cases reported in Europe since 2022 | Banned Schedule II since 23/04/2025 |
| THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol) | Traces in the plant; the commercial version was semi-synthetic | Yes, potentially far stronger than THC in the lab | Practically no human studies; very hard to dose | Banned Schedule II since 23/04/2025 |
| THC-O, HHCP, HHC-O, H4-CBD | Semi-synthetic, acetylated or hydrogenated derivatives | Yes, variable | No safety data; extra risk when vaping acetates | Banned Schedule II since 23/04/2025 |
Two things in the table deserve a comment. First, the difference between CBD and THC goes beyond the law and into the effect itself, which is why we cover it separately in our practical CBD vs THC guide. Second, the safety column: THC has been studied since the 1960s, whereas commercial HHC had not been through a single clinical trial by the time it was on sale in thousands of shops across Europe.
Timeline of the ban
The ban did not arrive out of nowhere. It was the end of a three-year journey in which European health alerts, the United Nations and the Spanish Ministry of Health gradually closed the circle.
HHC is detected on the European market for the first time. The EU drugs agency (then EMCDDA, now EUDA) adds it to its early warning system: it is the first semi-synthetic cannabinoid to be sold at scale in the European Union.
HHC and its derivatives spread across Spain through CBD shops, grow shops and online retailers. Several European countries (France, Austria, Italy and Finland among them) ban it on their own. In Spain it sits in a legal grey area: not listed, but not authorised for consumption either.
The United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs decides to place HHC in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Signatory countries, Spain included, are now obliged to control it.
The Ministry of Health signs Order SND/380/2025, amending Annex 1 of Royal Decree 2829/1977 to add HHC and around ten semi-synthetic cannabinoids to Schedule II, along with other substances unrelated to cannabis.
The order is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on the 22nd and comes into force on 23 April. From that moment, manufacturing, distributing, selling and possessing these compounds outside the medical or research circuit is prohibited. Shops and platforms must pull the products immediately.
Why Spain banned them
From the outside it can look as though the ban came purely from international pressure, but the underlying reasons have far more to do with the health of the people consuming. These are the four that really counted:
THC-like effects without THC-like research
HHC, THCP and THC-O act on the same receptors as THC and produce comparable effects. The difference is that THC’s doses, interactions and risks are known; for the semi-synthetics there were no clinical trials, only user experience and emergency-room reports.
Uncontrolled manufacturing
Hydrogenation and acetylation need metal catalysts, solvents and laboratory precision. Nobody was supervising those processes, so a product could contain leftover reagents, unknown by-products or concentrations nothing like the label.
Misleading labels and impossible dosing
Being sold as “legal”, many people took them for harmless. With THCP the problem was worse still: its potency made it very hard to dose, and in edibles or vapes one puff or one gummy too many could end in a thoroughly bad time.
Alignment with the UN and Europe
Once the Commission on Narcotic Drugs scheduled HHC in March 2025, Spain was bound to do the same. The Ministry used the order to close the door on the derivatives the industry already had lined up as replacements.
“Legal” never meant “safe”
For three years those products were legal only because the law had not yet got round to naming them. The fact that something sits in a shop window says nothing about what it contains or how it was made. That, in the end, is the lesson of the whole episode.
What changes from now on
Inclusion in Schedule II of Royal Decree 2829/1977 has very concrete consequences, and they are worth knowing because the “legal product” story took longer to disappear than the product itself.
Legal grey area: not banned, but not authorised for human consumption either. No quality or dose control.
Schedule II of Royal Decree 2829/1977: manufacturing, sale and possession banned outside a medical or scientific setting. Pure CBD flowers remain on the market, with their own rules.
In practice, this is what has changed for a consumer:
- Selling them is illegal. Any shop or website still offering HHC, THCP or similar is operating outside the law, whatever the label says. The penalty regime of Royal Decree 2829/1977 itself applies to manufacturers and distributors.
- So is carrying them in the street. As controlled psychotropic substances, possession in a public place falls into the same territory as any other: Spain’s Public Safety Act, with the fines we explain in our article on the fine for carrying marijuana.
- “It won’t show on a test” was never a guarantee. Roadside saliva tests are designed for THC, and cross-reactivity with HHC is poorly documented. To understand how detection really works, read how long THC stays in your system.
- CBD is still legal. The ban targets semi-synthetics, not cannabidiol. That said, CBD has its own limits in Spain (it is not authorised for ingestion or as a food), which we explain in CBD in Seville: benefits, uses and legislation.
“Legal” products that are nothing of the sort still circulate
A year and a half after the ban, websites keep popping up, mostly based outside Spain, selling HHC or THCP as if nothing had happened, and new acronyms (THCB, THCJD, THCH and others) are playing the same race against the law. The rule of thumb does not change: if a product promises the effect of cannabis without being cannabis, treat the word “legal” on the label with suspicion. And remember that something sold legally in your home country can still be a controlled substance when you land in Spain.
And in Seville? What this means for a member
For anyone who already consumes cannabis in Seville, or is thinking of joining a club, the ban on semi-synthetics clears things up considerably:
- Social clubs never dealt in substitutes. The cannabis social club model is based on shared cultivation of the plant among adult members, in a private space. What circulates is cannabis, not a lab distillate sprayed onto hemp. If someone offers you “HHC” inside a so-called club, that is one of the warning signs we list in how to tell if a cannabis club in Seville is legal or a scam.
- The legal framework for cannabis in Seville has not changed. The April 2025 order bans semi-synthetics; cannabis use in private remains exactly what we describe in is it legal to smoke marijuana in Seville?: tolerated in private, fined in public, with sale prohibited.
- If you are visiting, leave the HHC at home. Even in countries where it is still legal, bringing it into Spain means travelling with a controlled substance. There is no grey area to rely on any more.
- The city’s CBD shops are still open. What you will no longer find (and should not find) in them are HHC flowers or vapes. If you spot any, do not buy them: as well as being illegal, you have no idea what they contain.
- Asking remains the best tool. One of the advantages of belonging to an association is being able to clear up doubts with people who know the plant and the legal framework, instead of trusting a label. Informed consumption starts there.
A private space, with real cannabis and no misleading labels
FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME A MEMBERWe are at C. Bartolomé de Medina 24 (41004 Seville), an 8-minute walk from Prado de San Sebastián.
Frequently asked questions about HHC and semi-synthetic cannabinoids
The questions that come up most often, answered without the runaround.
Since when has HHC been banned in Spain?
Since 23 April 2025. Order SND/380/2025, of 14 April, was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 22 April and came into force the following day. It placed HHC and its derivatives in Schedule II of Annex 1 of Royal Decree 2829/1977, the regulation governing psychotropic substances in Spain.
Which substances exactly were banned alongside HHC?
Besides HHC, the order added HHC-O, HHCP, HHCP-O, delta-8-THCP, delta-9-THCP, THCP-O, THC-O, the homologues delta-8-THC-C8 and delta-9-THC-C8 and H4-CBD to Schedule II. The same order also scheduled substances unrelated to cannabis, such as dipentylone, 2-fluorodeschloroketamine and bromazolam.
Is THCP legal in Spain?
No. THCP (tetrahydrocannabiphorol) and its acetate, THCP-O, have been in Schedule II of Royal Decree 2829/1977 since 23 April 2025, with the same status as HHC. It was one of the compounds that most worried the authorities because of its laboratory potency and how hard it was to dose.
Does HHC show up on a Spanish roadside saliva test?
There is no safe answer. The rapid tests used at checkpoints are calibrated for THC, and the evidence on cross-reactivity with HHC is scarce and contradictory. Either way, since April 2025 HHC is a controlled substance, so a laboratory-confirmed positive would have consequences. The only sensible advice is not to drive after consuming, whatever it is.
Can I bring HHC into Spain if it is legal in my country?
No. Since 23 April 2025 HHC is a controlled psychotropic substance in Spain, regardless of its status elsewhere. Bringing it in means travelling with a scheduled substance, with the same consequences as any other. If you are planning a trip to Seville, leave it at home.
Is CBD still legal after this ban?
Yes. The order targets semi-synthetic cannabinoids, not natural cannabidiol. CBD flowers, oils and cosmetics keep their previous status, which in Spain has its own nuances: CBD is not authorised as a food or for ingestion, and products are sold for aromatic or cosmetic purposes. We explain it in detail in our article on CBD and its legislation.
The legal information in this article is based on Order SND/380/2025 and Royal Decree 2829/1977, in force on the date of publication; rules on controlled substances may be updated. Data on the effects and safety of semi-synthetic cannabinoids come from public-agency reports and scientific literature, which is limited. This content is informative and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Green City is a private, non-profit association for adults who are already consumers. We do not promote cannabis use: we encourage those who already consume to do so responsibly, consciously and within the law.