Plea made to access medicinal cannabis on compassionate grounds

People Before Profit TD, Gino Kenny, author of the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016, has asked Health Minister, Simon Harris, to make a special exemption order in the case of Ava Barry (6) and Ronan Gaynor (4) in regards to access to medicinal cannabis.

Ava suffers from Dravet’s syndrome, which involves intractable epilepsy, with often dozens of seizures a day, a condition known to respond well to cannabis based products. Ronan has diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, involving severe pain and distress which is responding to cannabis-based products only.

The exemption would allow the cannabis oil with the required THC content to be imported by the Minister to help alleviate the suffering of both children under a statutory instrument that could by-pass existing law in exceptional circumstances.

Gino Kenny said: “As you know, I have put forward the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016, which would offer a long term and robust solution for the many people that urgently need these products.

“In the short term, if a doctor was to write to you on behalf of Ava and Ronan to prescribe them cannabis based products for medicinal use would you consider the doctors application and ensure these children gain access to these products which they so desperately need?”

Deputy Kenny also commended the recent report by Michael Barnes to the UK parliament on the effectiveness of cannabis based products in treating a variety of medical conditions including MS, epilepsy, cancer and chronic pain.

He said: “It is vital that this evidence is taken into account”