This Blog post is posted with support from Danoja – an Irish Medical Cannabis Company. For more information see www.danoja.ie.
The legal landscape for Medical Cannabis in Ireland has, for a long number of years, been based on the prohibition model of access. This was until the introduction of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP) on the 26th June 2019 by the Minister for Health.
The MCAP Scheme is a pilot scheme that is to last five years (up to 2024) and, it is hoped, that the scheme will be extended and reviewed again prior to June 2024. The scheme itself and its potential expansion & review ties in with the upcoming Citizens Assembly on drug use in Ireland.
The MCAP Scheme facilitates access to Medical Cannabis products for medical use in line with legislation and within the clinical guidance for the scheme, which was prepared in advance of the commencement of the MCAP Scheme. These products are (after completing an in-depth application process with the HPRA) listed in Schedule 1 of the MCAP Regulations as suitable for use under the Medical Cannabis Access Programme.
Once on the MCAP Scheme, the Medical Cannabis can be prescribed by a medical consultant for the following specific conditions:
Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis
Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy
Severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy.
We are currently advising Danoja on their application to the HPRA for the inclusion of four new dried flower types and one extract to Schedule 1 of the Regulations and you can follow their progress at www. danoja.ie and on their social media channels.
If you are an Irish cannabis company looking for expert legal advice on the Irish medical cannabis landscape, you can contact us here.
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