Hi all, Thank you for signing the petition. We all live in the hope that our representatives will be reasonable and compassionate when considering the urgency for the study of cannabis. All we hope for is a fair and transparent assessment of the effects of this plant on under various conditions, and hopefully to show its efficacy for a range of treatments as has already been shown in preliminary studies across the world. We hope our representatives don't delay in the uptake of cannabis as a treatment in Ireland, as we have seen the rest of Europe moving quickly to help its citizens. I hope these studies across a range of conditions can show cannabis to be helpful and in turn our government makes it available to people who really need it for conditions that were cruelly outside the recommendations of the HRPA report. Conditions like chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, fibromyalgia, etc. etc. etc. I think a key point is to analyse against the comparative effectiveness of current pharmaceutical offerings for these conditions and determine whether cannabis can be a much less harmful alternative for the patient. When compared to opiod based painkillers I think the benefits of cannabis are obvious, whereby opiods are addictive, harmful to the patient and are a risk to the patients life. If you have anything to share please do. I have added contact info for Health Minister Simon Harris to share your thoughts, experience and opinions on the potential of cannabis for you or a loved one. Here is a template email you could use to contact Simon Harris personally at: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie If you think cannabis can help you, or a loved one let them know! Its time to remove the stigma and doubt surrounding this plant and replace it with facts and evidence! The more people that contact our representatives the better! Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie Sample email: "Hi Simon, I am contacting you today to talk about how I think cannabis can help. The human body contains an edocannabinoid system with receptors in our organs, brain and central nervous system. Our body is designed to receive the compounds found in the plant. Cannabis influences our immune system, appetite and pain management. For this alone I think we need to study this plant thoroughly. I have already seen animal based studies and trials that indicate that cannabis has great potential across a range of physical illnesses from cancer, arthritis, epilepsy, pain management and in terms of mental health from anxiety, depression, insomnia and stress relief. What I have learned is that cannabis offers a much less harmful alternative to often harsh pharmaceutical products for the same treatments, with opiod based painkillers, chemotherapy and dangerous arthritis drugs. If there is the potential that cannabis can provide healthier treatment programmes to patients we should study that. Regards," Lets hope our representatives see reason and compassion. Regards, Hugh.