'Grave error' in Government's new medicinal cannabis scheme

Vera Twomey, whose daughter Ava is severely epileptic but has been almost seizure-free since starting on medicinal cannabis, said most Irish patients are currently prescribed Bedrocan, a Dutch medicinal cannabis product, that they access under ministerial licence. Picture: Denis Minihane

A “grave error” in the Government’s new scheme to allow some medicinal cannabis products to be prescribed and funded for patients in Ireland is that it omits the drug already relied on by many, campaigners say.

The limits of the scheme, with few drugs and conditions approved for cover, will leave families unable to afford prescriptions for their sick children, which could lead to life-threatening crises, a group called the Irish Medicinal Cannabis Council has warned.