• Question: is it illegal to take weed in ireland for medicine

    Asked by CLODAGH LONG to Anne, Florence, Mark, Neil, Sinead on 13 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Neil Day

      Neil Day answered on 13 Nov 2015:


      Hi Clodagh -any medicine has to be shown to have therapeutic benefit that outweighs the risks of taking it. This is proven in a series of clinical trials and once approved is licenced and regulated by the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland. Marinujuana has not gone through this process and therefore is illegal to be used as a medicine.
      That’s not to say there isn’t a potential medicinal benefit which could be devloped. It justs needs to be balanced against the undwanted side effects

    • Photo: Florence McCarthy

      Florence McCarthy answered on 15 Nov 2015:


      Yes, it is. Any medicine must be fully tested by clinical trials to ensure their is a medical benefit and as far as I’m aware there have only been preliminary investigations into the use of the active component THC for medicine. There is no licenced/regulated use in Ireland as of yet and this a long way away yet. Even in countries where it has been legalised there is a very limited market for medical cannabis and the use is primarily social.

    • Photo: Sinead Balgobin

      Sinead Balgobin answered on 16 Nov 2015:


      Yes, it is illegal. Medicines need to be approved for use after lots of clinical testing, to make sure they are safe (that that benefits outweigh the dangers) and that they are effective for what they are treating. This hasn’t happened, so weed isn’t legal.

Comments