Written answers
Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Department of Health
Cannabis for Medicinal Use
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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791. To ask the Minister for Health the number of people who are currently accessing cannabis-based products via the medical cannabis access programme; the conditions for which they are accessing these products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33917/23]
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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792. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the number of people who are currently accessing cannabis-based treatments via the Ministerial-licensing access route; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33918/23]
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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794. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the review of the medical cannabis access programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33920/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 791, 792 and 794 together.
There are currently 47 patients availing of the MCAP being treated for one of the three stated conditions covered by the MCAP, namely
a. Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis resistant to all standard therapies and interventions whilst under expert medical supervision;
b. Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, despite the use of standard anti-emetic regimes whilst under expert medical supervision;
c. Severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy that has failed to respond to standard anticonvulsant medications whilst under expert medical supervision.
To date 315 Ministerial Licences, issued pursuant to Section 14 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, have been issued to clinicians for the treatment of 75 different patients. Currently there are 36 patients being treated under the programme.
A clinical review of the MCAP will commence at the conclusion of the evidence gathering and evidence synthesis being carried out by the Health Research Board on behalf of the Department and peer review of the evidence synthesis. It is expected that the clinical review will commence in Q4 of 2023.
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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793. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on his Department's discussion around a Statutory Instrument to allow for the import of cannabis-based products from the UK for potential inclusion under the medical cannabis access programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33919/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In Statutory Instrument 262/2019 The Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) Regulations 2019 the definition of “specified controlled drugs” as used in the programme specifies that is a product
(d) which is permitted to be sold or supplied for medical purposes by the relevant public or state body of a Member State other than the State,
(e) which is currently supplied to patients in the Member State referred to in sub-paragraph (d),
“Member State” means a state which is a contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed in Oporto on 2 May 1992, as adjusted by the Protocol to that Agreement done at Brussels on 17 March 1993;
As the UK is no longer part of the EU, therefore it is not appropriate to include the UK in the definition of “member state” as this would provide the UK suppliers with access to the Irish market on the same basis as other EEA member states.
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