Are HHC Pre-Rolls Safe?
HHC is the newest THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) analog to be incorporated into a pre-roll. Great, another joint variation of THC. What’s the big deal?
HHC or hexahydrocannabinol might not be that popular, as a pre-roll, compared to its more familiar counterparts like delta 9, but it offers a certain value that’s worth a double look. Spoiler alert! It’s especially suitable for low-tolerant smokers who like their weed on the molder side.
Get to know more about the comparisons between HHC vs. THC in this blog.
Not only is it superior in shelf stability, HHC pre rolls are reported to give off 50% to 80% high strength compared to medium-potency weed – basically, every low-tolerance smoker’s delight.
As an underrated pre-roll variant, HHC pre rolls are not immune to questions of safety. There is not much written about its safety for consumption in the online library either. There is, however, a scatter of information about HHC and pre-roll joint safety. We’ll arrange them to create an intelligible body of knowledge.
Here’s what we’ve come up with.
What is HHC Pre Roll?
An HHC pre-roll is a “pre-rolled” joint that contains weed with predominantly HHC on it. So after unwrapping that package, the joint you roll on your hands consists of a rolling paper and ground cannabis flower.
Sometimes, aside from ground cannabis, pre rolled joints can contain cannabinoid concentrates like kief, wax, or shatter. These cannabinoid-rich concentrates, which can sometimes include a party of cannabinoids or only a single-type cannabinoid, add to the present potency and uniqueness of the effects of a joint.
It’s hard to tell when an HHC pre-roll joint is worth the buck or not, at least not until you personally experienced how buttery smooth its drag is or how solid its effects are to you. Appearance-wise, pre-rolled joints with twigs and whole leaves sticking out are iffy.
HHC pre-rolls have a slightly potent effect compared to delta 8 but are relatively milder than the popular delta 9 THC. The effects of HHC pre-rolls are said to be more of a euphoric type of high that mellows down into feelings of relaxation.
Many brands roll their own HHC pre-rolled joints. They even make it in varying sizes ranging from 0.5g to 13g.
Is HHC Safe?
More often than not, HHC’s reputation precedes its true nature. Despite this, HHC is actually a naturally occurring cannabinoid. As the compound THCA degrades on an aging cannabis plant, HHC is slowly created. There is one hitch though, HHC only naturally appears in small quantities only.
The scant HHC has to be synthetically manipulated to cut the costs of its expensive extraction process. Several years later, through the process of hydrogenation, it’s possible to create HHC from the original compound CBD.
The process of creating HHC synthetically is executed in very specific conditions, it’s not cheap manufacturing as you can tell. A small flaw in the process means a contamination break out a brand couldn’t afford.
Experts are not quick to put HHC in the harmful category because there is no concrete evidence suggesting it in the first place. In fact, legitimate studies are even exploring the compound’s pharmaceutical potential.
So yes, like any other cannabinoid, the compound in question isn’t the problem when it comes to safety issues. It’s nature’s passive participant that doesn’t aggressively wreak havoc or does harm to bystanders until harnessed by wrong manufacturing standards.
Are Pre-Rolls Safe?
Remember the pre-licked fiasco where a certain employee of a brand licked a pre-rolled joint product (during the height global COVID-19 pandemic) and Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency ended up recalling over 3,000 pre-rolled joints made in Bay City? Many agreed that this is an isolated case while some weren’t convinced.
Pre-rolls are normally manufactured in sterilized machines that efficiently pack and roll joints quickly. Ground cannabis is then swiftly placed inside pre-glued and pre-rolled joints. By the time pre-roll joints come in contact with workers, the integrity of the product is protected by gloved hands, lab gowns, and secured hair nets. There could be human errors to account for but the odds are too small to be worth paying attention to.
This is standard protocol and is widely practiced by big cannabis companies fearful of tarnishing their brands by offering substandard pre-rolls. Plus, legal dispensaries selling pre-rolls are supervised by the state and have probably gone through several tests.
Hence, pre-rolls made by reputable brands should be safe.
How to Know if What You’re Purchasing is Legitimate and Safe?
Most HHC pre-rolled joints out there are legitimate and safe, that is, if you bought them from reputable dispensaries and online stores. Aside from being store-bought, what should be your other basis to make sure what you’re about to purchase is safe? Here are some of them:
Check the ingredients
HHC pre-rolls normally only contain two key ingredients: non-GMO hemp that has less than 0.3% delta 9 and an HHC distillate or concentrate. The distillate version is often infused in the hemp flower before being ground to a pulp while the concentrate version is just mixed in the ground version of hemp.
Sometimes, an HHC pre-roll can contain other valuable compounds like CBD or cannabidiol for potency enhancement or for offsetting strong effects.
It’s strange for an HHC pre-roll to contain more than the mentioned ingredients. If it contains other ingredients like tobacco or some other additives, this may be an indication that the brand is trying to cut costs by stuffing its pre-rolls with filler ingredients.
Check a joint’s ingredients from the packet that it comes with or search for its product page online and see if there’s a link to its Certificate of Analysis.
Brand reputation
It’s easy to determine whether an HHC brand has been under fire from lawsuits before. Simply search the relevant keywords in Google and the search engine will pull up any existing traces of reports about the brand.
The other factor to take into account is the number of years a company has stood. The longer the company has been in service, the higher the chance of buying high-quality HHC pre-roll from them.
Price
You know it’s a jackpot when you snag a high-quality HHC pre-roll at a low cost. We’re not saying that this rarity doesn’t exist but it’s safe to not take chances on suspiciously cheap HHC pre-rolls.
Price is a good indicator of a product’s level of quality. It also tells you the concentration of HHC per joint.
It’s a tricky business determining whether a company is hiking up its price to make up for its quality or simply marking them up for profit. But there’s a trick to this dilemma. Get the average price range of HHC pre-rolls online – it’s usually anywhere between $5 to $15. After doing so, go for mid-range level HHC pre-rolls in terms of pricing.
Customer Reviews
Nothing beats honest product reviews from actual buyers. Ironically, we’re least impressed with companies showing “all-positive” praises for their product. Reviews can be easily manipulated and it’s too predictable and cringe, to be honest.
On the other hand, brands nonchalantly publishing constructive reviews for their products should interest you. You know their product is that good if they’re confident.
Hemp Source
Consider buying HHC pre-rolls from brands that aren’t hesitant to disclose where they get their raw materials from. Most good HHC pre-rolls have their hemp sources grown in US farms where Federal standards and regulations are followed like a bible.
Imported hemp can be a hit or miss. Good companies simply don’t like risking the quality of their HHC joints even if it means having it openly offered to them at low cost prices.
Ask
If you’re still unsure of what to buy, ask questions. If you’re buying from local dispensaries, managers and frontline budtenders will be more than happy to answer your questions and may recommend some products.
If you’re shopping for HHC joints online from stores like Direct Delta 8, go to the “Contact Us” page and reach out via email or direct call. Occasionally, post questions from sites like Reddit, Quora, or Twitter. If you’re lucky, experienced smokers might actually give out brilliant answers but expect troll comments once in a while.
The Verdict: Are HHC Pre-Rolls Safe?
Yes, in general, as long as you’re getting them from reputable sources.
Children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding moms are strongly advised to stay away from HHC in the meantime. Those taking prescription medications aren’t recommended to indulge as some medications might have contraindications to HHC.
