CBD medication patients left out of Government Covid-19 collection and delivery arrangement
Gino Kenny TD says “It is illogical to leave these families out of the new arrangement”
On the 6th April the Government announced that an arrangement would be put in place for the collection and delivery of medicinal cannabis for those who hold a ministerial medical cannabis licence. There are currently approximately 30 licence holders in the state.
Prior to this new development, family members or individuals had to travel to Holland on a quarterly basis to collect the prescription from a pharmacy in The Hague.
People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny said: “I welcome this new arrangement as it prevents family members having to travel during this public health emergency. However, there are also a number of other families who have contacted me in recent weeks who have to make the same journey on a quarterly basis but don’t need a licence for the prescription they are collecting. This is because the product they have been prescribed is CBD (Bedrolite) only. This medical cannabis product is prescribed largely for children with refractory epilepsy.
“In all of these cases the prescription of medical cannabis is for very vulnerable children and adults. Last week I was in regular communication with the Department of Health requesting that the arrangement for delivery of medical cannabis prescriptions be extended to the other families who do not require a licence. This would stop family members having to travel to Holland unnecessarily during this period. Unfortunately, this request was turned down. This now means that those who have to travel to Holland may compromise their own and their family’s health and risk the danger of having their prescriptions confiscated by customs here. The situation is simply ludicrous and could be prevented if the Government included them in the new arrangement.
“What is now needed is the immediate commencement of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme and clarity around the arbitrary nature of the reimbursement and prescribing process. Until then, patients will still have to travel, some will look to the black market and others will simply have to go without. This is fundamentally not right,” added the Dublin Mid-West TD.
