After Canada made huge news last week by officially legalizing marijuana, many are wondering what country will make cannabis headlines next. And the answer may be over in the Emerald Isle, writes Joseph Misulonas. 

The bill recommends the establishment of a Cannabis Regulatory Authority to regulate the sale of medicinal cannabis - but it looks like it's now been defeated

The Government has been accused of hijacking the Cannabis for Medicinal Use Regulation Bill 2016 and ignoring well-founded medical advice to prevent it from passing.

During the return of the Dail from its summer break today, Solidarity-PBP TD Richard Boyd-Barrett claimed the Government was using parliamentary procedures to block the bill's procedure to Committee Stage.

The bill, which was tabled by Solidarity-PBP TD Gino Kenny last year, recommends the establishment of a Cannabis Regulatory Authority to regulate the sale of medicinal cannabis.

A motion from Cllr Michael O'Brien calling on the local authority to write to the Government to seek the legalisation of medical cannabis received cautious support at a meeting of the Athlone Municipal District this week.

A similar motion which the Moate-based councillor introduced at a full meeting of the county council was voted down earlier this summer, but he had more success with it among the Athlone-area councillors.

Cllr O'Brien called for a letter to be sent to Health Minister Simon Harris "calling for urgent legislation to be put in place for the legalisation of medical cannabis oil, and that he takes swift action to ensure that all Irish seeking this treatment abroad are allowed to return home and legally continue with their treatment."

C + Swiss Hemp Iced Tea contains syrup made from the fibre of a hemp plant and Chillo contains cannabis extract.

DRINKS laced with cannabis extracts have gone on open sale in Ireland.

But their distinctive leaf logos have been slammed for ‘glamourising’ cannabis — especially among youngsters.

The Irish Sun purchased two drinks in a Dublin SPAR shop which both have the plants’ leaf as the main image on the product.

C + Swiss Hemp Iced Tea contains syrup made from the fibre of a cannabis plant and not illegal in Ireland.

And energy drink Chillo, contains cannabis seeds, also legal.

Report says proposals would have unintended consequences.

The Oireachtas Health committee has voted to reject People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny’s Bill to legalise medical cannabis and said the Bill “should not proceed to committee stage”. 

The report by the committee on the proposals says the Bill has major legal issues and the proposed framework to allow patients access cannabis for medical reasons is “too loose to effectively guard against leakage of supply to recreational users, [AND]overuse by patients”. 

A Cork mother has travelled to the Netherlands to get medicinal cannabis for her sick daughter.

Vera Twomey's seven-year-old daughter Ava suffers from a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome which can be treated with medicinal cannabis oil.

Vera has been a vocal campaigner for the treatment to be made available in Ireland and has raised over €21,000 through a fundraising campaign for Ava.

"The reason we have arrived in Holland is because the Government, the HSE, the neurologists have demanded that we would go to another country to provide evidence that this treatment would work for our daughter," she said.

(but MDMA use is on the rise)

CANNABIS REMAINS THE most commonly used illegal drug among young adults in Ireland, according to the latest European drugs report.

The 2017 report by the Lisbon-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) measures the prevalence of drug use, addiction, treatment and deaths in European countries.

It draws on data from various surveys and reports published in recent years.

The report found that cannabis is the most prevalent drug used among young adults in the country, with 13.8% of 15-34-year-olds saying they have taken the drug in the last year.

This is by far the most commonly used drug among this age group.

The line-up for The Capital B this week is akin to a PG episode of narcos, it's got drugs, gold and computer hackers...

Speaking on JOE's business show Dr James Linden of Greenlight Medicines, said Ireland has the perfect climate to grow cannabis and he believes we have the potential to become the next cannabis growing capital of the world. Greenlight Medicines has so far raised €500k in funding from Irish investors  to research the potential effects of cannabis on diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and on chronic pain. Listen to the full interview with James Linden in the soundcloud link below, it's an eye-opener.

The legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes would prove much safer than patients sourcing illegal cannabis on the street to relieve chronic health conditions, a Limerick doctor has claimed.

Dr Ray O’Connor, of the graduate entry medical school in the University of Limerick, said he supported proposed legislation on the drug but called for strict regulations should it pass into law.

He said “it won’t be a case of walking into a pharmacy and getting six bags of cannabis and ‘Happy days’”.

“It will be given for specific purposes for specific patients, and will need to be strictly monitored to ensure that it is not abused,” he said.

‘It’s not quite the elixir of life, but it’s close,’ says seller of THC-free product.

The first health food store in Limerick to stock cannabis oil products says sales have “skyrocketed” in recent months following calls for psychoactive cannabis products to be legalised for medicinal purposes.

Cillin Cleere, the proprietor of Eats of Eden on Thomas Street in Limerick city, said their cannabis oil products were now among their 10 best-selling products since they began stocking a variety of products four months ago.

He said cannabis oil could be used for a “range of neurological and physical benefits” 

“The sales have been astronomical,” said Mr Cleere, who is also a biochemist and nutritional therapist.