Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

On countless occasions over the past four years I have raised the issue of the medical cannabis access programme. This time last year the Minister announced that the programme would be functional. That was underpinned for, I understand, the first time in medical history by a statutory instrument which allowed people to access medical cannabis legally. The Minister said he expected people to be prescribed medical cannabis by the autumn. Does he know how many people have been prescribed medical cannabis under the programme? The answer is not one person.

Not a week goes by without parents of very vulnerable children ringing me to ask how they can get access to medical cannabis because their children are in desperate situations. I have run out of things to say to these parents. I can only say so much. They return to their doctors who tell them they do not know anything about the programme. Access has been four years in the making. It is referenced in the programme for Government, which is welcome, but the Minister has to give a commitment to parents and patients on getting access to medical cannabis under the programme. Can he give a commitment on this in his last couple of weeks as Minister for Health?

See this speech in context