Drugs | Business Post

Our ‘hidden waiting list’ of delays in access to medicines is costing lives

An independent review of our entire drugs reimbursement system is urgently needed as patients wait far longer here for new drugs than in most of Europe

Elaine Byrne: We need to talk about cannabis, and about legalising it in Ireland

Gino Kenny’s bill to legalise cannabis for personal use presents a timely opportunity to discuss the realities around cannabis and its use today

Rehab facility: We’re treating record numbers of addiction cases

Coolmine chief executive Pauline McKeown expects further rise in numbers as inflation makes more people vulnerable through social deprivation

Elaine Byrne: Anti-cannabis group has its say, but minister needs to listen to the other side

Frank Feighan, the minister in charge of the National Drugs Strategy, does not envisage legalising cannabis, but a legally regulated market would control what goes into cannabis, as well as generating revenue from taxes

A new Horizon: ‘Ireland’s appeal to us is about the talent, not just tax’

Horizon chief executive Tim Walbert explains why the drug company will keep expanding in Ireland and has marked its commitment by sponsoring the Irish Open

How cocaine became Ireland’s drug of choice

Once seen as the recreational drug of the wealthy, cocaine has become a ubiquitous presence among every social and economic group in Ireland – including teenagers – and is ordered via text or social media. What is behind the popularity of the Class A drug?

Businessman secures stay on his prosecution for possessing cannabis products with trace amounts of THC

Judge says state must prove its prohibitions on cannabis products containing trace amounts of the psychoactive compound protect human health

Launch of health-led drug diversion scheme delayed due to legal issues

The scheme has yet to be rolled out at the five pilot locations originally planned for 2021

Cathal Mac Coille: Inaction on injection centres just kicks the can down the road

Fully four years after the Oireachtas backed the setting-up of supervised drug injection centres, not one of them has opened

Patients with rare diseases urge Dáil to pass law on orphan drugs

Three years after a bill on the issue was first proposed, patients say they are tired of agonising delays to accessing life-changing treatments

‘Health-led’ drug diversion scheme to be rolled out by the government this year

The Health Diversion Programme, which allows for those found with small quantities of drugs to be directed to the health service instead of being prosecuted, will be rolled out in five locations in 2021

Elaine Byrne: Why the Biden story we need to hear now is that of Hunter

If the son of the world’s most powerful politician can publicly acknowledge his dependency struggles, it may encourage others to do likewise – especially here in Ireland

Move to generic arthritis drugs saves state €35m in a year

Gainshare initiative provided an incentive for hospitals to switch to biosimilar medicines as soon as originals had gone off patent