Through the Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP), Ireland has made progress in recent years in supplying medical cannabis to individuals who require it. But new data collected by Independent TD Violet Anne Wynne shows a sobering truth: just 53 people have signed up for the program since it began in 2017. In addition, the fact that there are no new applicants for the current year underscores serious problems with the system.
Ireland’s restricted accessibility
The MCAP seems not to be having the desired effect on individuals with certain medical disorders, such as severe, refractory epilepsy, intractable nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy, and stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis. Only 53 patients have used the program over the course of seven years, raising concerns about both its accessibility and efficacy.
Violet Anne Wynne has expressed worries about the MCAP’s limitations. She makes the argument that the program’s limited scope makes it more difficult for it to effectively assist individuals in need. Wynne cites the dearth of financial assistance for applicants as a major disadvantage that places an excessive load on individuals who are already dealing with health issues.
The procedure for ministerial licenses
Compared to the MCAP, 319 patients have obtained medical cannabis through the Ministerial Licence channel since July 2019, indicating a higher level of consumption. But this path has its own set of difficulties. This year has only seen one successful application, despite a higher uptake. This discrepancy highlights the necessity for Ireland to establish a more accessible and inclusive medical cannabis policy.
According to Wynne, many people are suffering and receiving insufficient relief from the current programs, MCAP and Ministerial Licence. The disparity in patient numbers between the two pathways draws attention to structural problems with Ireland’s medical cannabis policy.
It is clear that the current frameworks, notably the medicinal Cannabis Access Programme, are not addressing the needs of patients as Ireland struggles with the complexity of medicinal cannabis regulation. There have only been 53 registrants in the past seven years, and this year there are no new applications, therefore immediate action is required to overcome the restrictions and obstacles preventing access to medicinal cannabis. The demands made by independent TD Violet Anne Wynne to expand the MCAP highlight the urgent need for reform in order to guarantee that individuals in need get the assistance and care they are entitled to.
Furthermore, the study indicates that a sizable portion of physicians have experimented with drugs, the most common being cannabis. Furthermore, most doctors supported the decriminalization of small amounts of cannabis used for personal consumption.