Patients will be able to access medical cannabis for the first time in Ireland, after new legislation was signed by the Minister for Health, Simon Harris.

The legislation allows for the operation of a five-year pilot programme - the Medical Cannabis Access Programme. The aim of this is to facilitate ‘compassionate access to cannabis for medical reasons, where conventional treatment has failed', Minister Harris said.

It covers only a limited number of conditions, including severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy.

"Ultimately it will be the decision of the medical consultant, in consultation with their patient, to prescribe a particular treatment, including a cannabis-based treatment, for a patient under their care. It is important to state that there are no plans to legalise cannabis in this country," the Minister explained.

The first stage of the programme will see potential suppliers applying to have their medical cannabis products assessed for suitability for medical use.

There are currently no medical cannabis products available in Ireland. However, this legislation means that commercial operators whose cannabis products meet the specified requirements set out in the legislation, and which have been listed in Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) Regulations, will be able to supply these products in Ireland.

Once suitable medical cannabis products are made available by suppliers, the programme will make it possible for a medical consultant to prescribe a listed cannabis-based treatment for a patient under his or her care for the following medical conditions, where the patient has failed to respond to standard treatments:

-Spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis
-Intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy
-Severe, refractory (treatment-resistant) epilepsy.

The programme was initiated on foot of the Health Products Regulatory Authority's (HPRA) expert report Cannabis for Medical Use - A Scientific Review, which was prepared at the request of the Minister in 2016.

Following publication of the report, Minister Harris established an expert reference group to advise on the development of such a programme.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health emphasised that the offences and penalties for unauthorised supply and possession of controlled substances remain unchanged.