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THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has finally found a supplier for medicinal cannabis.
The Department of Health confirmed to TheJournal.ie that a licence for the importation of “specified cannabis containing products” has been granted.
The licence was granted to a commercial enterprise in January 2019.
It is understood Health Minister Simon Harris will bring proposals about the cannabis access programme to Cabinet next month.
It’s over two years since the minister announced that a medicinal cannabis access programme was to be established, but since then no scheme has been rolled out.
The delay has been blamed on the government running into problems finding a quality assured supplier of cannabis and a supplier that can export its products to Ireland.
It is understood that the medicinal cannabis product for Irish import has been sourced in Denmark. Last year, a team of officials travelled to the country to assess the operations of access schemes abroad.
The department has also confirmed that officials are working intensively on finalising the legislation required to underpin the cannabis access programme.
It is believed the legislation could be ready in mid-April.
In a statement, the health department said it is currently “seeking solutions to the supply of appropriate products for Irish patients. Officials have been in regular contact with our counterparts in Denmark, UK, Canada and further afield”.
The access programme aims to allow access to cannabis-based therapies for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis, those experiencing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and those with severe, refractory and treatment-resistant epilepsy.
The establishment of the scheme follows on from recommendations from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
Following the report, Department of Health officials said they had been working intensively on the issue to ensure a supply of appropriate medical cannabis products from other EU Member States and further afield to meet the needs of Irish patients.
Until medicinal cannabis is permitted to be imported to Ireland and until the access programme is up and running, Irish doctors are operating under the current ministerial licencing route, which allows them to prescribe medical cannabis for their patients.
As of late last year, licences have been granted for twelve individual patients, the majority of whom are obtaining their medical cannabis from a Dutch pharmacy on foot of their medical prescription.
As the delays dragged on, questions mounted on the government about the hold-up.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told the Dáil last year that his party had been “extremely patient” about the delays, stating that patients, such as Vera Twomey, have to travel overseas to Europe every three months to secure the medicinal cannabis which has been identified by their specialists and GPs.
People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has repeatedly raised the issue, pushing his Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill.
Definitely time the banks update their systems. This is getting way too common. The fees have gone up, start using them to provide a service!
Most of the banks systems are ok. It’s just ulster bank who’s systems are outdated but will cost millions to update
Karl
Did you not hear of the Bank of Ireland problems?
THIS! Most banks still use mainframes for a lot of their nightly transactions. They need to rebuild!
Its Ulcer bank at this stage for its customers…
Perhaps if they try to FIX the problem rather than FOX it
as in your headline,the customers will be happier!
Thanks for pointing that out :) I’ve FIXED it now.
You FOX Michelle and your fixing !
Continually having computer problems, yet continually increasing fees. Left them a year ago, terrible bank to deal with.
Couldn’t have had a different experience with them myseflf. There was an issue about a year ago that was an inconvenience but I’ve never had another issue with them and always found their staff so helpful with everything. Mobile banking is down at the moment but you can still log on through normal means as well as using the full website through your mobile device. Very minor inconvenience unless you want to be offended by it.
Never took offence to them, just got fed up paying through the nose for a service they couldn’t supply. You obviously weren’t affected when their computer systems went belly up for weeks, direct debits were being taken out twice, wages not going in etc. a joke of a bank.
Yes I lost track of how much was in my account for a few days but it got sorted and they reimbursed me for two transactions that hadn’t happened! I pay no fees at all for my banking thankfully and they have branches open on a Saturday! Like I said some people go out of their way to be upset!
Ulster bank is one of the better banks surprisingly enough. They were the last to raise their fees and they’ve a good rep for business banking.
Had to leave AIB after 12 years with them – so rude and their fees were rocketing.
Believe me Ted I haven’t got time to go out of my way and get upset with a bank. Way to busy to be checking accounts all the time in case they’ve made more mistakes. That’s why they lost me and hundreds of other customers over the last year or two. I guess some people put up with bad service and some don’t. Like I said, a joke of a bank.
Thank god I’m not one of their 600 customers
Well I am a customer and I’m praying to Joe Pesci that they get it sorted soon
Call those 2 Canadian kids to sort it out.
I remember the good old days when banks used to at least pretend that they were looking after their customers,
when mobile banking was a lorry with a teller in the back.
I’m off to the credit union thanks.
No fee internet banking, direct debit, cash card facilities
run by volunteers who don’t cost us €100 billion every 20 years or so.
Feckin’ shower of bankers…!
HACKERS !
All those screenshots are from UK customers (Ulster bank in NI, RBS in UK).
Is there any proof of ROI customers affected?
NI is part of the UK. RBS in GB.
Meant to say that!
Thank god I left them after the last major F up. Their I.T section is absolutely useless
Working now – first thing I notice is the direct debits have been taken. Back to normal, or what passes for it in a nationalised bank.
Ulster Bank couldn’t find their arse with both hands and a map !
Ulster Bank still use pen and paper. I rang today told by them my loan was with collections because it was in arrears. I said it couldn’t be and it’s most likely in credit. On hold for 36 mins while some eejit worked it out manually. At the end and after telling me 3 iMessage that I was in arrears the first eejit tells me I’m in credit and my account has been removed from arrears. They are a joke of a bank and shouldn’t even be in business.
Can they please change their debit cards. Such bad quality.
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