A woman who smokes cannabis to deal with her back pain says she is able to make her own decisions about the drug.
She also says Ireland needs to have 'the adult conversation' surrounding its use.
In 2019, legislation was passed to allow for the operation of the Medical Cannabis Access Programme on a pilot basis for five years.
'Sally' - not her real name - said she takes the drug occasionally for back pain as a result of multiple sclerosis (MS).
She said she should be able to make her own choices.
"I find that every now and again I would smoke cannabis... because it really does help relieve the pain and inflammation that I feel in my back.
"My back is quite bad and I have MS for a few years.
"I'm an adult, I'm able to make my own decisions - I'm able to go down and buy alcohol if I want, if I want to buy 20 cigarettes I can.
"So I just think it's time that we had the adult conversation - that we say 'Look, people should be able to make their own choices' - like they do in the Netherlands and Denmark and places like that."
"I know there are downsides to cannabis, like for instance the paranoia and there's long-term effects like memory loss, but quite honestly I'm in my 50s now so I've enough memory loss going on anyway."
"Sometimes cannabis can cause schizophrenia in people, and I do know people that that has happened to.
"But from my own point of view, my own perspective when you're in pain all day the only thing you can think of is the pain that you're in."
'Not going around stoned'
"I have tried the cannabis oil, but the cannabis oil takes so long to get into the system it just doesn't have the same effect".
"And I'm not going around stoned - I wouldn't even weigh on a weighing scales what I smoke.
"It's only a little tiny pot... Like I'm not going around high as a kite.
"If my husband comes in, I would say he wouldn't even notice that I've had any to be honest".
"It should be not for recreational use in the sense that I have young kids, so I wouldn't like to see my kids smoking it because it does have long-term effects.
"But I'm in my 50s now, I have a long-term illness, I'm trying to cope with pain everyday and trying to keep life as normal as possible for them".
