Ireland to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes

Report from the Health Products Regulatory Authority 'cautiously' advises restricted use of the drug

Under new proposals, the government would collect tax on the drug

Cannabis is set to be legalised for the treatment of several medical conditions in Ireland.

A new scheme will see the drug used to treat patients with epilepsy, intractable nausea and other illnesses. Running for five years, it will be monitored by health service experts.

A report by Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) warned of the lack of evidence over Cannabis' effectiveness and safety,

But Simon Harris, the country's Minister for Health has given the go ahead for the drug to be used.

“I believe this report marks a significant milestone in developing policy in this area,” Mr Harris told The Guardian. “This is something I am eager to progress but I am also obligated to proceed on the basis of the best clinical advice.”

Professor Tony O’Brien, chairman of the HRPA, said he was pleased to “cautiously advise” for the restricted use of cannabis products for a small number of medical conditions.

“Access to medicinal cannabis is ultimately a societal and policy decision which has to balance the lack of scientific evidence against patient-led demand,” the report said, according to The Irish Times.

It did however note there was “insufficient information” about the long-term safety of cannabis usage.

“The scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of cannabis across a large range of medical conditions is in general poor, and often conflicting,” it said. “Cannabis has potential therapeutic benefits but these need to be better defined through clinical research.”