Patients in Northern Ireland and the UK can be legally prescribed medicinal cannabis for the first time.

Under new rules, prescriptions for cannabis-based medicines are allowed - but can only be issued by specialist doctors.

While GPs cannot issue the prescriptions, doctors in fields such as neurology or paediatrics have now been given the power to do so.

Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, and "only when the patient has an unmet special clinical need that cannot be met by licensed products".

The British government's law will not limit the types of conditions that can be considered for treatment by cannabis products.

Speaking about the change last month, the UK's Home Secretary Sajid Javid explained: "Having been moved by heartbreaking cases involving sick children, it was important to me that we took swift action to help those who can benefit from medicinal cannabis.

"Specialist doctors will have the option to prescribe these products where there is a real need."

Mr Javid insisted that the change does not pave the way towards legalising cannabis for recreational use, stressing that those laws will remain the same.

In Ireland, medicinal cannabis is only made available in very restricted circumstances, and doctors must apply to the Health Minister for a dedicated licence for individual patients.

A HPRA review carried out last year said found that current evidence suggests cannabis can provide "at best a moderate benefit... in a small number of medical conditions".

There have been efforts to introduce dedicated legislation for medicinal cannabis, including a bill from People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny.

Last year, Health Minister Simon Harris granted 7-year-old Ava Barry a licence for medicinal cannabis after a high-profile campaign by her mother Vera Twomey.