The government looks set to pass new laws which will allow for cannabis-based medicines to be prescribed in Ireland for the first time. It is understood that the new laws could be in place as early as tomorrow, as stated by junior Health Minister Alex White who says the laws will be signed early next week, if not before then.
This new law change will allow doctors to prescribe drugs which contain small amounts of cannabis to patients to relieve the pain from conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
The drugs have already been approved by the Irish Medicines Board and Minister White says they will be made legal very soon.
Mr White went on to say “If it doesn’t happen by the end of this week, and I’m going to endeavour to do everything in my power to ensure that it could be done this week, there are one or two issues that just needed to be ironed out of a legal nature, I’m hopeful we can do it this week, if not I expect early next week and that’s how imminent it is,” he said.