The Explainer

2019 will likely be the year when it becomes significantly easier for patients to access medicinal cannabis in Ireland.The government has found a supplier, and Minister for Health Simon Harris is due to bring his plans for a cannabis access scheme to cabinet. Currently it is only available to a small number of patients.This will make it significantly less of a grey area in Irish law - and it could also herald the start of the Irish cannabis industry.In this week's episode of The Explainer, we're examining whether Ireland will be able to grow its own medicinal cannabis. TheJournal.ie's Political Correspondent Christina Finn examines the legal hurdles the government would still face, with Minister Simon Harris explaining where they currently stand on the issue and how he's open to 'Ireland Inc' taking control of its own supply. We also speak with the CEO of Cannabis Danmark Rikke Jakobsen to look at how the industry was set up in Denmark. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine popping down to your local newsagents with this shopping list: Bread, milk, eggs, Lotto quick pick, an official government porn pass.That's the situation anyone living in the United Kingdom could face from July if they want to view pornography online, when the British government brings in radical new laws.Websites which primarily host porn will be required to carry out age-verification checks to ensure anyone visiting the site is over 18 years old.It's a world first. Because of that, it's not clear how it will be implemented or if it will even be effective in preventing children from accessing pornography.In this week's episode of The Explainer, Caroline West, a doctoral scholar in sexuality at DCU, and TheJournal.ie's Senior Reporter Michelle Hennessy join us in studio to examine all aspects of the new law, from privacy concerns if age verification is carried out online, the impact accessing pornography has on children under-18, the question over whether certain sexual acts are banned under the legislation, and whether Ireland is considering following the UK's lead on this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in 2015, the then-government announced that the first supervised drug injection centre in the country would open within two years.The centres - known as medically supervised injecting facilities (MSIFs) - provide drug addicts with a safer, sterile environment in which to inject heroin, cocaine or others drugs under the supervision of a medical professional. Users source their own drugs and inject themselves in booths in the centreIt's more than four years since that announcement was made. It was included in the Programme for Government, the enabling legislation was passed - and yet the first centre still hasn't opened, currently stuck in planning permission limbo. Why has it taken this long?In this episode of The Explainer, TheJournal.ie's Cormac Fitzgerald and Christine Bohan delve into the current situation around supervised drug injection centres in Ireland, how Irish politicians have lagged behind on drug policy, the concerns expressed around opening the pilot scheme in Dublin city centre, as well as the facts behind their effectiveness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Wednesday night, the latest stage of the Brexit saga began: The Flextension.The United Kingdom and European Union agreed a flexible Brexit extension until 31 October following marathon talks in Brussels.This now gives UK prime minister Theresa May extra wiggle room to get her Brexit deal over the line - but we've already been hearing about this for more than two years, and for many people, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.In this episode of The Explainer, presenter Sinéad O'Carroll is joined by TheJournal.ie's Gráinne Ní Aodha and Christine Bohan as well as executive director of European Movement Ireland Noelle O'Connell to look at exactly what is happening with Brexit now, and what it means for Ireland and the upcoming European elections. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's not a professional sports person, but John Delaney is one of the most well-known names in Irish sport.The longtime head of the Football Association of Ireland - the FAI - followed in the footsteps of his father Joe to get involved in the organisation. He held the role treasurer of the FAI before moving on to become its chief executive.However, earlier this month he moved from the role to become executive vice-president of the FAI. Around the same time, Delaney became the focus of a number of news articles.In the latest episode of The Explainer, we look at the media attention around John Delaney, alongside his achievements in the FAI, how he rose to power within the organisation, and his appearance before an Oireachtas committee next week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daylight Savings Time has been a fixture in Ireland for as long as most of us can remember, but MEPs recently voted to scrap it - and Ireland has 12 months to say if it will follow suit. That's what we look at in this week's episode of The Explainer, where we dive into why this is happening, the history of daylight savings in Ireland (including why Dublin Mean Time isn't a thing any more), and whether Ireland will be getting longer, brighter evenings or mornings... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the episode, we look at the case of Irish Islamic State member Lisa Smith, who is Irish and was married to an Islamic State member. We examine the current state of play regarding Islamic State in Syria, why its members are leaving the country, and what Ireland's options are for returning citizens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Measles is on the rise in Ireland. We examine the latest outbreaks and discuss how linked it is to wider anti-vaccination trends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the week where the major decisions will be made about what Brexit will look like, TheJournal.ie looks at your shopping basket to see what will happen to prices and supply in Ireland after 29th March Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.