Ireland: First patient receives medical cannabis treatment

His name is Ryan Gorman, he's 26 and lives in Dublin. This Irishman is the very first to receive cannabis as part of the Medical Cannabis Access Program (MCAP). This system was set up four years ago by the Irish government. After a long road, it is now a fully-fledged part of the island's health policy.

«It's fantastic news», said Brendan Gorman, Ryan's father and caregiver, reached by BusinessCann. «It's not about being the first patient, the last patient, or the one in the middle. The most important thing is that medical cannabis becomes accessible. Barriers come down, it's a bit like the Berlin Wall: the first brick collapses, then the rest follows.»

Ryan has epilepsy. This is one of the three illnesses covered by medical cannabis in Ireland, alongside multiple sclerosis and chemotherapy-induced nausea. The Dubliner is even very ill, as he is one of only 800 Irish people with an a form of epilepsy resistant to pharmaceutical treatment.

The 26-year-old will receive CannEpil, a drug from Australian company MGC Pharma, already available in the UK. It comes in liquid form, and is high in CBD. With 100mg/ml cannabidiol, and 5mg/ml THC, it has a CBD:THC ratio of 20:1.

Medical cannabis program «far too restrictive»

There's a long way to go for Irish people suffering from illnesses that can be treated with cannabis. The law introduced by the centre-right government requires patients to have tried all possible medications before being prescribed cannabis. A «farce» for Dr. Colin Doherty, who treats Ryan Gorman.

Another critic is Gino Kenny, a radical left-wing MP who has been fighting for this program for years. «It's far too restrictive and needs to open up to new diseases if it is to be fully effective. I hope that this first step will set a precedent for accelerating the pace.», he pleads to BusinessCann.

However, the Ministry of Health is walking on eggshells. « The pilot program will be reviewed in 2025, or if scientific evidence highlights the efficacy and safety of cannabis for other pathologies.», we read in a document posted on the government website.