THE BLOG HAS MOVED!

Hey everyone!

The blog is back active since November 2014 but it is now hosted elsewhere, and looking a bit better and with plenty of content!

You can find the blog over at http://irishcannabis.wordpress.com
 
You can also find us on Facebook via Irish Cannabis News

 Regards Brian

Is Medical Use To Be Recognised?

Joe Costello TD



Anyone reading Monday’s (August 8th) Irish Independent or the story online would have learnt that the Irish government is to consider proposals to make cannabis based medicines available.

Here are some details about the situation along with my own opinions. Here's a link to the Irish Independent article

In response to a parliamentary question from Labour TD, Joe Costello (who’s been vocal on this issue and the Noel McCullagh case), Junior Health Minister, Roisin Shortall said she was aware of claims that cannabis could be beneficial in the treatment of some illness and was looking into the matter, with departmental documents being prepared for the Health Minister, Doctor James Reilly.

According to the article in the newspaper, the department is looking at plans to allow travellers from other EU states to legally bring cannabis products prescribed for medical use into the country with them, this is under the terms of the Schengen Agreement, which covers the movement of people carrying drugs prescribed for medical usage between two EU member states.

Mr. Costello said he “asked the same question of Mary Harney and she said she wasn’t prepared to look at it”

Both Roisin Shorthall and Dr. James Reilly seem more open to cannabis as a medicine, with the latter, our current health minister, making his own enquires to Mary Harney when she was health minister

This whole story possibly stems from the case of Noel McCullagh, an Irish man living in the Netherlands who has been using cannabis to treat his MS for a number of years but has frequently been denied the right to return to Ireland. As mentioned Joe Costello has been vocal about this and you can watch him speak about the case in the Dail, you can watch the video Here

For anyone unfamiliar with Noel's case you can Read more here

Some thoughts....

The article states cannabis based medicines, one could argue what's more cannabis based than cannabis itself but the general feeling is the it's most likely to be a synthetic version of cannabis that will be allowed. Here's some of the types

Marinol (aka Dronabinol) and Nabilone are two types of synthetic cannabis capsules taken orally.

Sativex is a mouth spray developed by GW Pharmacuticals, which was used in trial research in a Cork hospice and in Waterford Regional Hospital. [Read 2004 article mentioning trials]

In the Netherlands there is three types of medicinal cannabis available through pharmacies, Bedrocan, Bedrobinol and Bediol though these are actually herbal cannabis where composition and strength varies.

What's unclear from the article is whether this is Ireland finally being completely under the Schengen Agreement and not just parts as before, and if cannabis medicines will be available in this country or will only be allowed for people travelling here.

The article opens with "The Government is considering proposals to make cannabis-based medicines available by prescription here. The Department of Health is looking at proposals to allow medicines containing the drug to be made available in certain circumstances" which might give one the hope medical products could be available here or patients could legally supply themselves.

However just a few paragraphs later

"According to departmental briefing documents prepared for Health Minister James Reilly, officials were looking at plans to allow travellers from other EU states to legally bring cannabis products prescribed for medical use into Ireland"

So it seems if this does come into place you would have to get both a doctors recommendation here and elsewhere in the EU where medical cannabis is available before arrangements could be made.

While it's not the drastic step forward some people hope, it's defiantly a start. The process of cannabis law reform is one of gradual change.

As stated, Mary Harney was uninterested about medical cannabis but the new junior health minister and health minister seem to share a different view, with James Reilly asking Harney about Sativex last July Reilly askes Harney about Sativex

If the government does follow through on this then one thing it would certainly due is bring into question the Schedule One ruling that cannabis falls under by law. Is Ireland finally about to recognise the medicinal properties of cannabis?

Let's not forget Limerick born doctor William Brooke O'Shaughnessy helped to popularise the use of cannabis as a medicine in the western world in the 1800's

William Devane Recieves Funding

William Devane, who spoke at the LCI Cork protest this year recieved his €350,000 grant to continue his research on the endo-cannabinoid system in Galway. A big congrats to him

William Devane speaking at Cork protest

Great Quote

"The paramount influence of the criminal law in drugs policy is the enduring reality, which ensures that Ireland remains resolutely prohibionist despite all its concessions to harm reductons"

- Quote from 'The Irish War on Drugs: The Seductive Folly of Prohibition'

An interesting book I'm reading by Paul O'Mahony

Discovery Channel To Show Dispensary In Action

Discovery Channel is set to announce a potentially controversial new series: A docu-soap reality show set in the America's largest medical marijuana distributorship and starring a pot reform activist. This fall, the network will unveil Weed Wars, where cameras follow the day-to-day dealings of a California ganja store.

Read more here

Study: Cannabis Not Linked With Long Term Cognitive Impairment

Article by Time Magazine

The idea that “marijuana makes you dumb” has long been embodied in the stereotype of the slow, stupid stoner, seen in numerous Hollywood movies and TV comedies and going unquestioned by much of American culture. But a new study says no: the researchers followed nearly 2,000 young Australian adults for eight years and found that marijuana has little long-term effect on learning and memory— and any cognitive damage that does occur as a result of cannabis use is reversible.

Read article here

Hempire Building

Check out this Irish Company

"All our products are suitable for use in the construction of zero carbon buildings. We use industrial hemp as our main raw material. Cultivating hemp runs parallel with ‘green future objectives’. Hemp requires little to no biocides, improves soil structure and fertility, and also controls erosion. These positive attributes make hemp the ideal break crop for farmers. "

http://www.hempirebuilding.net/

Ireland among worst for drug deaths

Ireland has one of the highest levels of drug-related deaths in Europe, according to a United Nations report on the global drug market.

It shows that Ukraine, Iceland and Ireland experienced some of the highest mortality rates in Europe, with over 100 drug-related deaths per million inhabitants aged between 15 and 64.

These figures are twice the European average, although the report says some countries may be significantly underestimating the number of deaths.

Read More Here

A third of pupils at LIT ‘used cannabis’

ALMOST a third of students attending Limerick Institute of Technology have smoked cannabis in the last year a recently published survey has found.

1,000 questionnaires were distributed to students attending the Moylish campus as part of the survey, which was conducted by a number of academics who are attached to Limerick Institute of Technology, University of Limerick and University College Cork.

Read more Here

Does Portugal have the solution to our drug epidemic?

In 2001, the world's media descended on one of Lisbon's poorer districts. Portugal had become the first country in the EU to decriminalise drug use and the coverage painted a bleak picture of the continent's "most shameful neighbourhood" and "worst drugs ghetto" where addicts openly injected heroin.

This "ultra-liberal legislation", it was feared, would lead to drug tourists descending on Portugal. The leader of the country's People's Party, Paulo Portas, said plane-loads of foreign students would head for the Algarve for "sun, beaches and any drug you like".

Yet, 10 years on, Portugal's drug policy is being held up as the model for other countries to follow. Rather than criminalising people found in possession of drugs, they are sent to a "dissuasion commission" for treatment and the results have been spectacular.

Read the article

Ireland's drugs crisis in numbers

Some statistics are available Here

Medical Patient on The Morning Show on TV3

Brendan Rigter talkS about getting raided and fined for growing cannabis whilst he is out of work and supports 3 children even though his compassionate doctor wrote the judge a letter detailing his use of cannabis to treat his MS symptoms.

This was on The Morning Show on TV3

Brendan was featured in the Irish Examiner a few days ago.

Watch it Here

Niamh and John on Clare FM

Niamh of LCI Clare, and John McCarthy, a medical patient who uses cannabis to treat his motor neuron disease were on the Clare FM today.

Dutch to ban foreigners from pot shops

Known as the "Weed Pass," the measure will turn coffee shops into private clubs for Dutch citizens over the age of 18. The memberships will last for a minimum of a year, and each shop will have a capped number of members.

"Persons who do not hold Dutch citizenship will not have access to the coffee shops," the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice said in a statement.

Read more Here

Florian on Radio Kerry

Florian (LCI Cork) was on radio kerry today.

Also he got a reply from taoiseachs office, minister for justice and equality(which will refer to department of health), and michael rae saying he brought up sativex and will continue to do so.