Pubdate: Tue, 14 Nov 2000
Source: Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Copyright: Examiner Publications Ltd, 2000
Contact:  http://www.examiner.ie/
Author: Cormac O'Keeffe
Bookmark: medicinal cannabis http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS MOWLAM'S PLANS TO DECRIMINALISE CANNABIS FOR MEDICINAL USE

The Government is to consider decriminalising cannabis for medicinal 
purposes, the Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs 
Strategy, Eoin Ryan, said yesterday.

After a meeting with his British counterpart, Mo Mowlam, who briefed him on 
her plans to allow cannabis to be used to relieve pain, Minister Ryan said 
he would look at the use of the drug as a possible treatment for chronic pain.

"Mo Mowlam was telling me about this development and it is something we 
will be looking at. People recognise it does relieve pain and nausea.

"We will try and help people who are suffering from diseases which could be 
relieved through cannabis."

Mo Mowlam said she would like to introduce the medicinal use of cannabis as 
quickly as possible.

"I can't find any way to do that as quickly as I would like. People with 
extreme cases of arthritis or multiple sclerosis are in pain now."

She said government researchers in Britain would complete their work by the 
end of next year, and that she expected to be able to implement her plans 
by 2002 or 2003.

She said researchers were taking active agents in cannabis and putting them 
into a medical form, such as an inhaler, which could be then used to 
relieve pain.

Ms Mowlam spoke to members of the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, an 
umbrella group of community, voluntary and trade union groups, and SAOL, a 
project for recovering female addicts.

Afterwards, she said she was impressed at the level of community activity 
in Ireland's drugs strategy.

"I'm learning here quite interesting lessons which I will take home. You're 
a bit better than us at getting community involvement and training the 
community, which we don't do."

Ms Mowlam said she had developed a good working relationship with her Irish 
counterpart. "We will continue to exchange ideas. That's the way you deal 
with a difficult, complex problem."

She also invited Citywide staff to study the implementation on the ground 
of the UK drugs strategy.

Anna Quigley of Citywide said dialogue with Mo Mowlam was of huge value, 
and praised her genuine interest and understanding of the drugs issue.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Thunder