Patients who have previously obtained a licence from the Minister for Health to use medicinal cannabis products, are to have these products delivered to them, it has been confirmed.

Where an Irish-registered medical practitioner wishes to consider using cannabis as a treatment for their patient, a licence can be requested from the Minister for Health. In all cases, certain strict conditions must be met in order for such a request to be considered valid.

These products are not currently available in Ireland, so those with the licence have been sourcing them from the Netherlands.

They are permitted to travel to the Netherlands to obtain the products, however because of travel restrictions and the need to self-isolate due to COVID-19, this is no longer possible.

The Minister for Health, Simon Harris, has announced an initiative for patients with the relevant licence.

"I am aware that the limited number of patients who avail of a Ministerial licence for medicinal cannabis products issued under section 14 of the Misuse of Drugs Acts have been encountering difficulties with access, owing to travel restrictions and people's need to self-isolate.

"I am very glad we have been able to make arrangements to have an emergency supply of their products collected for them in Holland, where the products are supplied, and to have the products delivered to the patients in Ireland," Minister Harris explained.

He added that patients and their doctors are currently being contacted by the Department of Health to put these arrangements in place.