The Oireachtas health committee has said that new legislation that would see medicinal cannabis being legal in Ireland, could be introduced by autumn.
The announcement comes after the Department of Health revealed that they were currently exploring the option of setting up the access programme using statutory instruments rather than primary legislation.
The Department of Health say the process would be quicker as the normal legislative process would take over 18 months which is far from ideal.
The prospect of medicinal cannabis available here was boosted before Christmas when the Dáil agreed the treatment should be made available to seriously ill patients.