Dr. Matthew Sadlier:

In my time working in general adult psychiatry I would say that one quarter of my inpatients were there because of cannabis. From a mental health perspective, it is probably the most destructive drug out there. There has been growth in people smoking cannabis, the plant of which has 154 psychoactive ingredients. It is more than likely that some are effective and can be used in the treatment of illnesses. Digoxin, a heart drug we all use, comes from the foxglove plant but I would not advise people to pick foxglove leaves to chew, nor would Dr. Walley or Deputy Harty. Cannabis should be dealt with like any other medication. When a distillative cannabis is found to be effective for treating an illness it should be licensed in the same way as penicillin or any other medication. I do not see the sense in making an exemption for cannabis herbal products. If an evidence-based product is found and passed by the same drug regulations as apply to every other pharmaceutical agent, then I would have no problem with it.