In advance of his Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016, due to be debated in the D�il on Thursday, Gino Kenny TD, of Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit (AAA-PBP), spoke in Trinity today on the benefit the drug can bring to patients.
The event, held in the Arts Block by the Socialist Worker Student Society (SWSS), the Trinity wing of People Before Profit, in association with Trinity Students for Sensible Drug Policy, was chaired by the public relations officer of Trinity Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Conor Reddy.
Kenny�s bill seeks to give people legal protection for access to safe cannabis-based medicines. This comes in light of evidence showing cannabis-based medicines – such as CBD Oil – to be an effective treatment for sufferers of multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and cancer, as well as alleviating chronic pain. With multiple sclerosis alone, there are an estimated 10,000 sufferers in Ireland.
One of those patients is Eva Twomey, who suffers from Dravet ayndrome, a form of epilepsy that is resistant to current treatments that are available on prescription. Her mother, Vera, has launched a national campaign to make accessible cannabidiol (CBD) treatments and has walked 150 miles from Cork to Dublin to highlight her case. Elsewhere, things like CBD Gummies are easily available to be purchased on the internet and can have great health effects, but are still yet to be made available for crucial treatments in certain areas. CBD is not just marketed for humans anymore; no, it is also sold in the form of CBD for pets meant to help with certain ailments in cats and dogs. Again, the availability is subject to location.
Kenny described his bill as the political end of that fight, which is essentially about �medical justice, at the heart of it�. He outlined the bill�s pillars, including accessibility to medicinal cannabis for patients who need it and the establishment of a Cannabis Research Institute and a Cannabis Regulation Authority. This institute would be responsible for research into cannabis medicines and developing treatments, while the regulation authority would be responsible for licensing businesses distributing cannabis.
In light of a recent Red C poll that revealed 92 per cent support among the public for legalising access to medicinal cannabis, Kenny declared there is �a very good chance [the bill] will pass to the next stage�, predicting support from Sinn F�in, the Green Party, the Social Democrats, Labour, several Independents, and Fianna F�il.
However, that would not mean instant access to medicinal cannabis for affected patients. Afterwards, the bill must go through the process of parliamentary committees, typically taking three to six months before a final bill can be passed.
Speaking on the stigma towards drug use, Kenny asserted that it is time to �stop criminalising patients who currently use cannabis�. While his bill doesn�t legislate for recreational use, a member of People Before Profit, speaking at the event, acknowledged that this is a first step in broadening attitudes towards drug policy in Ireland. He stated his wish to see drugs treated as a health issue and not a criminal one.
To that end, Students for Sensible Drug Policy have launched a cannabis awareness programme that seeks to make known the impact of cannabis on users and wider society, from medicinal to environmental effects.
