Gino Kenny TD welcomes Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme
Establishment of legal access programme a great day for families who have campaigned tirelessly over last three years
Programme unfortunately quite restrictive in conditions that are included
People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has welcomed the establishment of the Cannabis Access programme which is set to be announced today by the government. Deputy Kenny who has been campaigning for medicinal cannabis access for three years, including tabling a bill in the Dáil, the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016, said that today was “a great day for the families and campaigners who have been fighting for access to medicinal cannabis.”
The TD said that whilst this is a great day for campaigners and families who have been struggling to gain access to medicinal cannabis for their loved ones, the programme has serious limitations concerning the number of illnesses it includes, specifically chronic pain.
Deputy Kenny will meet with Department of Health Officials today for a briefing where he will quiz them on the finer details of the programme.
He will also raise the issue today at Promised Legislation in the Dáil.
He said:
“Today is a very significant day for all the families and campaigners who have been fighting daily to gain access to medicinal cannabis. Today is a victory for those that have been campaigning for greater legal and medical access to medicinal cannabis products.
“For the first time medicinal cannabis can be prescribed by a medical practitioner which is hugely significant in terms of the Irish health system’s acknowledgement of the medicinal properties of cannabis.
“I would however say that the programme, as the government have laid out, is quite restrictive in that it does not include a number of conditions that could derive benefit from medicinal cannabis, most notably chronic pain.”
