Cannabis based products accepted for use in the medical cannabis access programme must meet the definition of a ‘specified controlled drug’ as set out in the Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) Regulations 2019. Conditions (d) and (e) of the definition stipulate that a cannabis based product must be permitted to be sold or supplied in another Member State and currently supplied to patients in that Member State.
(d) which is permitted to be sold or supplied for medical purposes by the relevant public or state body of a Member State other than the State,
(e) which is currently supplied to patients in the Member State referred to in sub-paragraph (d),
As the United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Union, it is no longer a Member State. Cannabis based products that are permitted to be sold or supplied in the UK only and/or are currently supplied to patients in the UK only do not meet the definition of a ‘specified controlled drug’. Accordingly, applications to consider such cannabis based products for inclusion in the medical cannabis access programme cannot be accepted.
Four cannabis based products have been accepted for use in the medical cannabis access programme to date, and a small number of applications are currently under review by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
