Ireland makes home delivery of medical cannabis permanent

Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed that patients treated with medical marijuana will no longer need to travel to the Netherlands to pick up their medications.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, patients or their family members had to travel to the Netherlands to pick up the treatments prescribed in their medical cannabis prescriptions. The Dutch authorities prohibit both commercial and personal exports of cannabis but allow European patients to come and pick up their prescriptions.

A delivery service from the Netherlands to Ireland was launched in April 2020 on a temporary basis due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions. This service will now become permanent.

Minister Donnelly has declared : «Many patients and their families have shared stories with me and officials in my department about how this initiative has significantly improved their lives. They spoke about the stress of having to travel regularly and the associated health risks, as well as their fears of running out of medication.»

«I am so happy that these problems are now a thing of the past. They will no longer need to travel abroad to obtain the medications that have been prescribed to them. Instead, they can focus on their health and well-being. The well-being of patients and their families is our top priority, and I am pleased to assure them that they will no longer have to personally obtain their prescriptions.»

Officials at the Ministry of Health have yet to finalize the details regarding how the pickup and delivery service will operate on a permanent basis.