Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Chair has asked us to make our speeches short in order to facilitate all Members but I wish to take the time to congratulate Deputy Gino Kenny on producing the Bill and I thank the AAA-PBP for the unusually dogged determination that has succeeded in getting this Bill into the House, a success I think that was guaranteed because of people power and people being willing to expose their own personal tragedies and put their own stories on the line which has meant we are in the situation we are in tonight. The debate has moved on massively since we discussed it in the last Dáil, when I was one of only eight Deputies who supported the Bill of former Deputy, Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, to legalise cannabis, albeit to legalise it for all circumstances. I believe in the legalisation of cannabis in all circumstances.

It is correct to remind ourselves there has been a certain degree of hysteria and political baggage around this discourse on cannabis, which I believe has distracted and caused unnecessary delay in the research and delivery of this product, which could offer such vast relief for so many citizens. We should point out that, at the end of the 19th century, cannabis was widely used in Ireland for seizures, epilepsy, convulsions and other conditions, and there is a certain hypocrisy in that. Obviously, human health, medical care and end-of-life decisions are very personal and traumatic, and anything that can help in these situations should be facilitated. Other Deputies have pointed out very clearly the massive benefits of cannabis as pain relief for arthritis, multiple sclerosis, nausea, cancer and all the rest. That is not something that is unique. Many plants have medicinal properties and we derive medicines from plants all the time - it is the basis of most medication.

It is regrettable that prominent Irish universities and research facilities have not been developing science in this regard because science and medical care have really been subsumed by the justice system, which has denied people the benefit of this. Obviously, recent scientific evidence has helped to create a better picture, better even than the one we had two years ago. It is interesting that organisations such as Epilepsy Ireland were still very cautious about the perceived benefits of seizure prevention, even as recently as two years ago. Epilepsy is one of the reasons we are here today and is one of the ten top causes of death in young people, with 37,000 sufferers. Parents putting their tragic stories into the public domain has been a huge factor in enlightening other people. The research speaks for itself and research in the US and the UK demonstrates that this product can bring benefits.

The medication needs to be available so we do not have a situation where parents have the costly option of travelling to other countries, such as the US, and in some cases emigrating altogether. That is the situation being proposed for people with cystic fibrosis, whom we met in the Dáil today, due to not being able to access Orkambi. People are going to take these drastic steps if we do not provide medicine that they deserve for the quality of life that should be open to all citizens. There is an urgency in this situation. This debate will potentially offer a lot of much needed hope for people who have been shouldering an awful lot, in particular the families living with these debilitating conditions, in that we can point to the delivery of new treatment options they so badly need. I also hope it is a harbinger of further research into this area. It is a disgrace it has taken so long to drag us to this point.

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