Nine patients are granted ministerial licences for use of medicinal cannabis

Health Department working intensively to ensure supply of appropriate medicinal cannabis products

To date, ministerial licences for medicinal cannabis have been issued for the treatment of nine patients on receipt of valid licence applications from their clinicians, according to Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.

On the medicinal cannabis access programme, he told the Dáil recently, Department of Health officials were working to ensure supply of appropriate medicinal cannabis products from other European Union member states and further afield to meet the need of patients.

“However,” he added, “the Department has no control over business decisions taken by product manufacturers and no powers to compel such companies to supply their products to the Irish market.

“Until cannabis producers make their products available in Ireland, it will be a matter for the prescribing doctor and the patient to source the prescribed medical cannabis product.”

Clearly, the Taoiseach told TDs, that was unsatisfactory. However, it was understood patients who had been prescribed such products under ministerial licence had been able to source them from a pharmacy in the Netherlands.

People may apply to the Minister for Health for a licence under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2016, and the regulations and orders made thereunder. Guidance on who may apply for a licence under the Misuse of Drugs Acts, as well as instructions on how to apply, can be found on the website of the Department.