A clinical review group will examine the potential expansion of conditions for legal prescription of cannabis, the Department of Health has announced.
The Medical Cannabis Access Programme was set up in 2019 after a campaign by parents unable to access medicinal cannabis in Ireland for their sick children.
It allows a consultant to prescribe a cannabis-based treatment for a small number of conditions, where the patient has not responded to standard treatments.
The conditions are spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, or severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy.
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On Wednesday, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill announced she had appointed Prof Shane Allwright to chair the review of access to cannabis for medical use.
Allwright, a retired professor in epidemiology, previously chaired the report on the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke, which was seen as critical to the introduction of the Irish smoke-free workplace legislation.
She has served in various capacities on national and European public bodies, and her research interests includes smoking cessation, passive smoking, alcohol misuse and prisoner health.
The review will examine the current operation of the programme, as well as examining expansion of the range of conditions covered by the programme, where sufficient evidence exists that cannabis may prove beneficial.
The review group will also develop a national policy on access to, and the administration of, cannabis products that are subject to ministerial licence.
A 2024 study by the Health Research Board found medical cannabis could significantly benefit the treatment of nerve pain underlying conditions such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
For other conditions, including anxiety and pain in conditions such as cancer, rheumatic diseases and fibromyalgia, the review found no conclusive evidence to confirm the efficacy of prescribed medicinal cannabis.
Speaking following the appointment, Carroll MacNeill said the review group was an “incredibly important piece of work”.
“I am confident that Professor Allwright’s extensive experience will ensure the work of the group is thorough, balanced and evidence-based,” she said.
“Under her leadership, the review group will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of this issue and to the development of effective health policy.”
Allwright described the review as “important and challenging”, adding it was a “topic of interest to many people, including patients and clinicians”.
“It is a great honour to have been appointed by the Minister for Health to chair this working group,” she said.
“I look forward to bringing my national experience in public health policy to the role and to working with the Department of Health and with the subject experts appointed to the review group.”
The group is expected to complete its work within 12 months of its first meeting, after which it will provide a report to the Minister.
