Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
793. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health for an update on his Department's discussion around a Statutory Instrument to allow for the import of cannabis-based products from the UK for potential inclusion under the medical cannabis access programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33919/23]
View answerIn Statutory Instrument 262/2019 The Misuse of Drugs (Prescription and Control of Supply of Cannabis for Medical Use) Regulations 2019 the definition of “specified controlled drugs” as used in the programme specifies that is a product
(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),
“Member State” means a state which is a contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed in Oporto on 2 May 1992, as adjusted by the Protocol to that Agreement done at Brussels on 17 March 1993;
As the UK is no longer part of the EU, therefore it is not appropriate to include the UK in the definition of “member state” as this would provide the UK suppliers with access to the Irish market on the same basis as other EEA member states.
