Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will have to double-check with the Minister for Health and the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, as to exactly what the legal position is on this matter. There are two regulators in this area, as the Deputy knows. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland regulates pharmacists and is responsible for making sure that pharmacists do not hand out these medicines too easily, while the Health Products Regulatory Authority is responsible for the regulation of medicines, including controlled drugs such as these. I am not sure if it is a ministerial or Government decision or a regulatory one but I will look into it and come back to the Deputy in a few weeks with something a bit more solid.

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