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LAST UPDATE | 26 Jun 2019
HEALTH MINISTER SIMON Harris has today signed legislation to allow for the operation of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme on a pilot basis for five years.
The minister said it is going to take “a little bit of time to fully establish” the scheme, as supply couldn’t be brought in until the law was signed today.
“I expect patients to be in a position to access the scheme in the autumn,” he said.
It’s over two years since the minister announced that a medicinal cannabis access scheme was to be established.
The delay resulted in clashes in the Dáil between government members and the opposition, with problems finding a quality assured supplier of cannabis and a supplier that can export its products to Ireland being blamed for the hold-up.
In March, it was confirmed that a medicinal cannabis product for Irish import was identified, with government sources stating that the legislation to allow the scheme get up and running was to be signed off on before the summer.
The new scheme will facilitate access to cannabis-based products for medical use, that are of a standardised quality and which meet the requirements outlined in the legislation.
Commenting on the launch today, Harris said “it is important to state that there are no plans to legalise cannabis in this country. The purpose of this programme is to facilitate compassionate access to cannabis for medical reasons, where conventional treatment has failed”.
He added:
“Ultimately it will be the decision of the medical consultant, in consultation with their patient, to prescribe a particular treatment, including a cannabis-based treatment, for a patient under their care.”
The medicinal cannabis access scheme will now make it possible for a medical consultant to prescribe a cannabis-based treatment for a patient under his or her care, but only for patients with specific medical conditions, where the patient has failed to respond to standard treatments.
These conditions are:
The signing of the legislation today will allow for potential suppliers to apply to have their medical cannabis products assessed for suitability for medical use.
Currently no medical cannabis products are available in Ireland, which is why Department of Health officials had to travel to Europe to consult with initial suitable suppliers.
However, this legislation now means that commercial operators whose cannabis products meet the specified requirements set out in the legislation will be able to supply these products to the Irish market.
Any prospective suppliers can apply to the Health Product Regulatory Authority (HPRA) to have a product considered for inclusion in the schedule of ‘specified controlled drugs’.
A controlled drugs licence will be required for possession, supply or import of such cannabis products, and if a supplier is approved, the licence will be processed by the HPRA.
With the signing of the law today, the minister said he expects suppliers to now make applications to supply to the agency.
Pharmacists will also be able to dispense cannabis for medical use to patients under the new law.
He said the cost will be the same as getting any other prescription in a pharmacy.
“You will be assessed on the same basis – if you get the drug payment scheme you will be covered in that, if you have the medical card, you’ll be covered under the prescription charges, if you are on long-term illness, you will covered under that,” he explained to reporters today.
The minister said this is a “scheme of last resort” to many patients, and said he did not want to put a number on the predicted number of people that will sign up to the scheme, however, one government source said the department believes it could be in the thousands.
In terms of the cost for the State, that is a matter the government will now have to engage with suppliers on, said Harris today.
While it is relatively early days with the programme, Harris previously told this website that Ireland could own its own medicinal cannabis supply in the future.
In an interview for The Explainer podcast, TheJournal.ie spoke to Harris about whether Ireland would one day grow its own medicinal cannabis.
He said he has a “very open mind” about Ireland doing so, stating that his “gut feeling is [that] it should”.
The minister went one step further, indicating that the State or the public health service might end up owning its own medicinal cannabis supply.
The idea of Bórd na Móna taking up responsibility for growing Ireland’s medicinal cannabis supply has also been floated by Cabinet ministers.
With the launch of the new scheme today, the department also reminded people that offences and penalties for unauthorised supply and possession of controlled substances remains unchanged.
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This is a complete joke.Im delighted for the people who will be able to avail of the medical cannabis .But this law does not allow people who suffer from severe chronic pain to avail of the medication .Chronic pain is and means being in constant severe pain 24 hours a day 7 days a week .I suffer from this affliction and I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
People with this illness don’t get any sleep at night and during the day it can be a living hell.
I had to give up my job as a guidance counsellor
I have a serious spinal condition after I was knocked down in a hit and run road traffic collision .
It really Gauls me that minister Harris has just thrown pain victims to the wolves.
I appeal to Chronic pain Ireland to lobby the govt
Gerry Malone Dundalk
@Gerry Malone: that’s because it’s ” all in your head.”
Where all illnesses reside when doctors can’t fix it.
@Gerry Malone: keep talking to your local politicians, keep hounding them, the government are the only ones with the power to change this and make it available to more people.
@Gerry Malone: I couldn’t agree more. I’m delighted for the very limited few who will have access. But Colorado has a much broader range of conditions, including chronic pain, included for the last 20 years. Why do we always have to be so behind in this country? And it should not be available only when conventional treatment has failed either. It’s about the patient having choice, just like any other drug. I’m so sorry you have to deal with that level of pain. I’m even more sorry Simon Harris is so closed minded, it’s disgraceful. We’ll keep campaigning for Colorado et al model for as long as it takes. I have Hydrocephalus and Interstitial Cystitis (thankfully better), but the pain is no joke. I wish Simon Harris could live in a chronic pain body, he wouldn’t last 5 minutes.
@Gerry Malone: I feel for you Gerry, my mother is in the exact same boat. No help whatsoever. Best of luck.
@Brendan Hughes: yup, “it’s all in your head”, “you’re imagining it”, “you must hate your job”, and my favourite: “did your infertility article on TheJournal upset you?” No, you egotistical twonk.
@Clare McAfee: the inverted commas imply sarcasm…
@Paul: just direct quotes, from the mouths of consultants who charge €400 for 10 mins of verbal abuse.
@Gerry Malone: I don’t believe we would even have got this far if not for that amazing woman Vera Twomey. She had full support from PBP TD Gino Kenny. You could contact him. I hope you find relief soon.
@Noirin Kavanagh: definitely contact Gino if you want to be involved in campaigning. He’s been wonderful. He’s meeting with the Dept of Health today to discuss the programme details.. will be interesting to see how it works!
@Gerry Malone: I have Parkinson and excluded. Constant pain and tremors. I understand your frustration.
@Brendan Hughes: I totally agree – you beat me to it – PAIN PATIENTS NEED THIS DRUG!!!! it doesn’t work for everyone but when it does work it can be the difference between spending life in bed (or in agony) and holding a job and functioning.
@Clare McAfee: ” I wish Simon Harris could live in a chronic pain body, he wouldn’t last 5 minutes.”
If Simon Harris or another TD had this debilitating condition, you can bet the appropriate laws would have already been put in place. Big Pharma and will always dictate the needs of Ireland’s citizens facilitated by FFG.
@Gerry Malone: I hear ya I’m a chronic pain patient myself I also had to give up my job too its shocking we were shafted again one needs to walk in our shoes to know what it’s like
@Shakka1244: Simon Harris has Crohns Disease. There’s scientific studies on how cannabis can ease symptoms – a friend in the US has a medical marijuana card for Crohns, says it’s amazing for managing flare ups. I just don’t get how he can be so heartless, it’s unreal to me.
@Brendan Hughes:
same pain, different levels of ability to cope with it.
Medical model does not work well with treating this problem.
@Gerry Malone: I suffer from chronic pain too and would love if they extended this for people like me.
Legalise, regulate & educate to reduce harm.
Good progress, but not good enough. The legislation is laughable…
It reminds me of when they “legalized”contraceptives they could only be prescribed for married couples,at a time when HIV.was rampant.We were perceived then as an Island of priests and pixies,has anything really changed? Maybe their puppet masters in the pharmaceutical industries are still pulling the strings
@Thomas Devlin: prove that contraceptive pill has no side effects. A pill that can alter course of nature must have massive negative impact on body. In my opinion no woman should take it.
@Thomas Devlin: do you really think contraceptive pill would have prevented HIV? Where is logic in that?
@Mary Lyons: totally agree. Synthetic hormones are terrible for a woman’s body. Bioidentical made from yam and soy – much better! I wouldn’t take the contraceptive pill now if you paid me to.
@Thomas Devlin: The roi is still an island of pixies.
@Thomas Devlin: I think if people read my comment I said contraceptives,meaning condoms which were initially only available on prescription
@Clare McAfee: hello Clare can you explain does it work can it help a teenager with a couple of girlie issues
@Paddy Dunne: Let her talk it over with the Well woman clinic, or her doctor.
@Clare McAfee: unfermented soy is just as bad as synthetic hormones. The only soy that should be consumed is fermented.
About bloody time too.
@Alan Keane: it’s a game changer for a lot of people in this country
@Me_a_monkey: it doesn’t go far enough, it’s too restrictive, there are a lot more people out there that could benefit from this medicinally.
@Me_a_monkey: wot a load of cobblers. Those that need it will have to jump through hoops and the doctors wont prescribe it cos they will have their doubts about this and that. So at the end of the day, its off to the local supplier.
Election soon.. Ahh…
It’s about time, Ireland still 10 years behind everyone else, but we’ll get full decriminalization eventually (10-15 years from now)
@Barry Zuckerkorn: Absolute nonsense of a comment.
@Barry Zuckerkorn: you do realise that there is only 1 country in the entire world that has 100% complete legal use of cannabis right?
Hardly “behind everyone else”..
@Thomas Kearns: 2 counties and it’s decriminalised and/or not prosecuted for in many others
Hear hear @ Gerry malone.what help is it though for chronic conditions, arteritic, back feet etc. List for inclusion is actually worse than the conditions included in long term illness.
Prescribed opiate for severe pain, than they try reduce as of dangers associated, medical cannabis would seriously help out thousands of people , and save hse money.
@Kerrie Roche: As someone who has had uncontrolled epileptic seizures for the past 18 years, I completely agree, that those suffering with severe chronic pain should have been included in the list and also those who suffer with cluster migraine. Also to point out – people with epilepsy can be prescribed a cocktail of benzo’s…..the government has never shown any interest in caring about that fact. AED’s are toxic for to the liver and at the end of the day will cost the state more money to cover the cost of future medical intervention to prevent liver damage and ultimately liver failure. Maybe that’s the difference between people with MS and epilepsy and those with chronic pain.
More pandering to pharmaceutical companies by the HSE and Simon Harris. Only certain products have been allowed Sativex ( GW Pharma), Nabilone (MEDA pharmaceuticals), Marinol (AbbVie Inc.), Epidiolex ( GW Pharma).
Nabilone and Marinol are both produced using synthetic cannabinoid and show the complete lack of compassion by the Irish goverment. Paitents are not stake holders in the Irish Medical System and this bill is just more proff of that.
Take the power and money away from drug dealers and Regulate Cannabis.
The effects of cannibis on short term memory and attention span are bread, milk, eggs, toilet roll, walk the dog.
@Robbie Clancy: the effects of medicinal cannabis are thank f***, get some sleep, go for a short walk :)
@Clare McAfee: you pretty thing, like your language!
@Mary Lyons: I maintain that foul language is a symptom of chronic pain :D Plenty of effing and blinding in my household!
@Robbie Clancy: if I could do those things and take a dog for a walk, I’d be very happy, good day
Time is now for THc legislation. Recreational should be legal also
Compared to legal drugs like alcohol, Cannabis wins every time without debate.
I grew up in a house with an alcoholic abusive father. dad died at 53 due to alcoholism yet this filthy drug is legal.. also had 4 other friends die from alcohol related illnesses. but im the criminal for smoking a bit of weed. what a joke
Start: Cannabis works to alleviate a multitude of conditions. Finish: You’ll go to jail if you mess with it.
Chronic pain patients shafted again
All credit to Vera Twomey (person of the year ) who was let down by the Government but not by the Irish people
Very worrying the availability of such an addictive drug. Could heal one problem and create a far worse one and much more difficult to recover from.
@Mary Lyons: medicinal cannabis is nothing like the recreational type. Two entirely different things. When the alternative is Tramadol, Lyrica, Amitriptyline, Palexia, Morphine etc, I’d much rather smoke a medical grade plant. It works far better too, without the horrid side effects – that you get given another pill for.
@Mary Lyons: Such nonsense.
@Mary Lyons: ah Mary go and educate yourself please before you say anymore
@Mary Lyons: wot a load of testicles. Medical grade weed is nothing like the shite you get from around the corner
So it’s not legally available …depends on a consultant ..surely the patient should be allowed try it if they so choose to treat their condition….also people in chronic pain cant have it ?? Perhaps because the pharma COMPANIES will loose out !!!! But it’s ok fr people in chronic pain to be on all sorts of pain killers that destroy their liver kidneys and stomachs… BLOODY DISGRACE
On the subject of Cannabis whats the story with all the construction workers smoking it openly these days?
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, and I was a woman of 40. They put me on Rebif which I took until 2008 and was switched to Copaxone. I had two relapses on Rebif, none on Copaxone. I did notice my balance getting worse, and my memory, as well as muscle spasms.I was placed on Copaxone, it helped me but not very much. My neurologist advised me to try natural treatments and introduced me to Rich Herbal Garden Multiple Sclerosis Disease Herbal formula, I read alot of positive reviews from other patients who used the treatment and i immediately started on the treatment. I had great improvement and relief with this treatment, total decline of symptoms. Great improvement with my Vision problems, co-ordination, balance, muscle, mood etc, I gained back my life with this treatment and can never be thankful enough. Visit Rich Herbal Garden official website w ww .Richherbalgardens .c om I’m 52 now, and have never been healthier.
Will someone with MND /ALS be eligible for this.
A group went to europe to find a supplier and gave the contract to canadian company Tilray
Are. Grants. Now Available For. Grow. Houses and. Suppliers .
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