Cannabis-based treatment could be cleared for MS patients

Cannabis-based medicinal products, such as Sativex, could soon be available to people with multiple sclerosis and other medical conditions on prescription.

Róisín Shortall, minister for state at the Department of Health, said the department was “examining the issues associated with applying controls, similar to those that apply to other controlled drugs that can be misused, such as morphine and methadone, to cannabis-based medicinal products to permit them to be prescribed and dispensed in Ireland”.

In a written response to a Dáil question tabled by Luke “Ming” Flanagan (Ind), Ms Shorthall said: “As the law currently stands, it is not possible for cannabis-based medicinal products such as Sativex to be prescribed by a medical practitioner in Ireland.