David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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479. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration has been given to providing access to the medical cannabis access programme for cerebral palsy; if so, the outcome of that consideration; the list of conditions that were or are being considered for addition; the status of those considerations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23983/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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When I took the decision for a clinical review of the MCAP in order to examine whether sufficient evidence existed to expand the scope of the programme no specific conditions requiring the use of cannabis products for use under MCAP were considered above any others. The first stage of the process - the gathering and synthesis of evidence emanated from treatment or trials of any condition and the process has continued along these same lines. Evidence of this is available from the Health Research Board's publication "The efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis in adult populations: An evidence review", as published in January of this year. www.hrb.ie/publications/publication/the-efficacy-and-safety-of-medicinal-cannabis-in-adult-populations-an-evidence-review/returnPage/1/

A clinical review of the evidence, to ascertain if there is necessity to broaden the scope of the programme, will be commencing shortly.