The Ukrainian parliament has given its final approval to the bill that legalizes medical marijuana on a national level. It will now be signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is in favor of this reform.
Verkhovna Rada (the unicameral parliament of Ukraine) passed the bill on Thursday, with 248 votes — , defeating opponents who tried to block the proposal last month with hundreds of amendments that critics called “spam”.
The bill would allow medical cannabis to be used by patients suffering from severe illnesses or post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), resulting from the ongoing conflict between Russia and the United States, following its invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
In order to secure the final vote for the special procedure, 150 lawmakers had to sign a petition. Olga Stefanyshina, MP, said that they collected 164 signatures in the end, clearing the way for passage.
The legislation, as it was introduced, only lists war-related PTSD and cancer as conditions that medical cannabis can be prescribed to patients. However the chairperson of the health panel said in July the lawmakers hear from patients every day with other illnesses like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.
The bill changes marijuana’s status from strictly forbidden under List I of the drug code to being available medically with a prescription in List II.
Kyiv Post has reported that the Ministry of Agrarian Policies will be responsible for regulating cannabis cultivation and processing. The National Police and State Agency on Medicines are also responsible for the oversight and enforcement of the drug distribution.
To ensure patient access, this measure allows the importation of raw cannabis material from other countries.
@GolosZmin was the first @verkhovna_rada party to emphasize the importance of medical cannabis legalization in Ukraine. Today
Continue working! pic.twitter.com/ahKDHsGN6R
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) December 21, 2023
We have taken into consideration many of the key points raised by our colleagues. It is important to not trust the fakes spreading on social networks,” said MP Maria Mezentseva in a translated statement.
She said that the draft law on medical marijuana is intended to treat only those Ukrainians who are in dire need of it. “Medicines are only available on prescription, and only pharmaceutical products can be produced in Ukraine. This is to prevent any corruption risk.”
Zelensky for his part expressed support for medical cannabis legalization in June . He stated in an address before the parliament that, “all of the best practices in the world, all of the most effective policies and all solutions, however difficult or uncommon they may appear to us, should be applied to Ukraine so that Ukrainians – all our citizens – do not suffer the pain, the stress and the trauma caused by war.”
He said: “We must, in particular, legalize cannabis-based medicine for all who need it, with scientific research that is appropriate and controlled Ukrainian production.”
Six months after Zelensky’s signature, the law will come into effect.
Zelensky, during his presidential campaign, also expressed support for the legalization of medical cannabis. He said that it would be “normal,” in 2019, to allow access to cannabis “droplets,” a possible reference to marijuana tinctures.
This policy change will put Ukraine in stark contrast with its longtime aggressor Russia. Russia has taken an especially strong position against the reformation of cannabis policy on the international level via the United Nations. The country has criticized Canada for legalizing cannabis nationwide.
The article Ukrainian lawmakers approve medical marijuana legalization bill, sending it to President Zelensky first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
