Once suitable medical cannabis products are made available by suppliers, the Access Programme will make it possible for a medical consultant to prescribe a listed cannabis-based treatment for a patient under his or her care for the following medical conditions, where the

patient has failed to respond to standard treatments:

spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis
intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy
severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy
Legislation underpinning the Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme

was enacted in June 2019. The first stage of the Programme was to have potential suppliers apply to the HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority) to have their cannabis-based products assessed for suitability for medical use. Currently four products have been assessed as

acceptable by the HPRA. Further products are currently being assessed and if assessed as acceptable, will be added to the schedule of products for inclusion in the Programme.

The HSE will establish and maintain an electronic register for the Medical Cannabis Access Programme

to facilitate the enrolment and recording of certain data including patient identifiers (in anonymised format), prescribers enrolled in the programme, as well as prescribed / supplied medical cannabis products.

Pending the commencement of the Access Programme clinicians and

their patients have been availing of a licence under the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977-2016 in order to prescribe and administer cannabis-based products. The commencement of the Access Programme will not affect these patients.