Minister Appoints Chair to Review Medical Cannabis Access in Ireland
Ireland's Medical Cannabis Access Programme is under formal review, with a new group established to examine access and inform future health policy.
The Minister for Health has announced a formal review of how patients in Ireland access cannabis for medical use, with a leading epidemiologist appointed to lead the process.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD has appointed Professor Shane Allwright as Chair of the Review of Access to Cannabis for Medical Use. The Review Group will examine Ireland's Medical Cannabis Access Programme (MCAP), which has been in operation since 2021, as well as access to Schedule 1 cannabis products granted under Ministerial Licence.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
"I am pleased to appoint Professor Allwright as Chair of the Review Group. This is an incredibly important piece of work, and I would like to thank Professor Allwright for agreeing to take on this role. I am confident that Professor Allwright's extensive experience will ensure that the work of the Group is thorough, balanced, and evidence based. Under her leadership, the Review Group will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of this issue and to the development of effective health policy.
"I look forward to receiving the Group's report in due course and wish Professor Allwright every success in her appointment."
Professor Allwright, an epidemiologist retired from Trinity College Dublin, brings a strong background in public health policy to the role. She previously chaired a landmark report on environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace, work that was critical to the introduction of Ireland's smokefree workplace legislation.
Professor Allwright said:
"This is an important and challenging review, on a topic of interest to many people, including patients and clinicians. It is a great honour to have been appointed by the Minister for Health to chair this working group. I look forward to bringing my national experience in public health policy to the role and to working with the Department of Health and with the subject experts appointed to the review group."
The Review Group will examine the current operation of MCAP, consider whether the range of conditions covered should be expanded where evidence supports it, and develop a national policy on access to cannabis products subject to ministerial licence. The group is expected to complete its work within 12 months of its first meeting.