James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

An estimated 1.65 million Irish people suffer from chronic pain, 21% of whom have been living with such pain for more than ten years. Pain can be caused by underlying conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis. It can also result from isolated events such as road traffic accidents. Chronic pain is debilitating and impacts on peoples' ability to work, sleep and do the simple things in life. It can effectively destroy their quality of life. There is some evidence to suggest medicinal cannabis can alleviate chronic pain and decrease reliance on other powerful prescriptive drugs such as opiates and can give people back some quality of life. We already allow the prescribing of morphine, a close cousin of heroin. We would not dream of denying access to morphine for those who are in extreme pain or dying of cancer. Cannabis based medicine, on prescription, has the potential to decrease pain and improve people's quality of life. There is evidence that it is effective for those with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other conditions.

This is about showing compassion, giving people hope and ending suffering by giving them access to medicine. Everyone has suffered pain at some stage, whether it be from a broken bone or whatever else. Imagine what it must be like to live with such pain on a daily basis, year after year. It must be horrendous. We have a moral duty to help people where we can.

As I said, research demonstrates that cannabis based medicine can lower reliance on powerful opiates, reduce pain killer abuse and decrease the incidence of hospitalisation. There is no reason cannabis based medicine cannot be treated like other medicine such as morphine. I do not believe in the slippery slope argument as it has not applied to other powerful prescriptive medicines. We should trust medical professionals and allow them to prescribe these pain relieving drugs if they believe it is medically appropriate to do so.

I commend Deputy Gino Kenny for bringing the Bill before the House; it is not before time and I am glad that Fianna Fáil is supporting it. I support it, although I have some concerns about technicalities at the edges of the Bill. However, they can be dealt with on Committee Stage.

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