Press Release

Chronic Pain Ireland announces that their National Secretary, William McLoughlin BL, was fundamental in the securing of a licence from the Minister of Health to import, possess, supply, prescribe and administer Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychotropic cannabinoid and the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, to be used in the treatment of an extreme case of severe chronic pain.

A three month licence was granted on foot of an application made directly to the Minister for Health under section 14 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, in accordance with Part 3, Section 6 of The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 (Statutory Instrument 173 of 2017), by a medical professional for the treatment of severe chronic pain.

At the time of applying, there was no set procedure in place and the application was developed by pre-empting any concerns or objections by the Department of Health. The application, upon which the licence was granted, specified that the THC would not be consumed via smoking. The specified medical professional would administer a starting dose, monitor the patient and adjust the dose accordingly. In the absence of Department of Health guidelines on the use of medicinal cannabis, the Dutch Office of Medicinal Cannabis guidelines were used as a starting reference for dosage, usage, etc.

The patient would be under constant medical supervision. Chronic Pain Ireland believes that access to medicinal cannabis or THC under medical supervision can be used as a method of treating chronic pain.

Update - Since the above press release the Dept. of Health has set up a detailed repository of information about medical cannabis and you can access up-to-date and relevant information via https://health.gov.ie/cannabis-for-medical-use/

About Chronic Pain Ireland

Chronic Pain Ireland (CPI) is a national charity offering information and support for those living with chronic pain.

CPI Chairperson, John Lindsay, said that this is a significant breakthrough for people living with severe chronic pain. He also stated that hopefully the law in Ireland will change in the near future and bring us into line with countries like the Netherlands and Canada.

For further information contact CPI on 01 8047567 or info@chronicpain.ie www.chronicpain.ie