Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments. While I cannot discuss an individual case, I am very pleased that I was in a position to sign another licence allowing a citizen, a little girl, to access a medicinal cannabis product. It is the third licence I have signed since becoming Minister for Health. All applications which have been validly submitted with the support of a monitoring consultant in Ireland have been granted. As the Deputy correctly said, I asked the Health Products Regulatory Authority to carry out a review of Ireland's policy on medicinal cannabis. The authority has reported on that review. It has stated medicinal cannabis may have some benefit in treating three specific conditions - epilepsy, where a patient undergoing chemotherapy is nauseated and multiple sclerosis. I have set up a clinical expert group to put guidance in place in that regard. The Deputy is right, there is a clinical debate on the use of CBD as opposed to THC. I will keep the matter under review. I hope to roll out the rapid access programme early in 2018.

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