Mother seeks prescribed cannabis for daughter

A Cork mother is urging Health Minister Simon Harris to back a bill that will allow doctors to prescribe cannabis for medical conditions, and says it could have life-changing benefits for her daughter.

Vera Twomey’s daughter, Ava, suffers from Dravet syndrome which is a rare but severe form of epilepsy that hampers people’s cognitive development and requires those with the affliction in need of round-the-clock care due to the frequency of the seizures they suffer.

While Ms Twomey has managed Ava’s symptoms over the past month with the use of Charlotte’s Web, an oil that is legally available in Ireland, she says legislation is needed for her daughter to receive the medicines she needs long term.