The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has officially approved a bill that legalizes medical marijuana . He and other officials believe this step can help soldiers deal with physical and mental injuries incurred in the country’s war against Russia.
Zelensky approved the final bill of the bill about a month after it was “unblocked”, as an attempt by the parliament to reverse the reform had failed.
The law will come into effect six months after it is published. During this time, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU) and the Ministry of Health are responsible for developing the rules of the program.
Ukraine may import marijuana products sooner after cannabis was moved from being strictly prohibited in List I of the country’s Drug Code to being available for medical purposes with a prescription, under List II.
The medical cannabis law was approved by lawmakers in December. However, the Batkivshchyna opposition party employed a procedural trick to block the legislation. They forced the consideration of a measure to repeal it. This resolution was defeated in January, paving the way for its enactment.
The measure passed with 248 votes, despite the fact that opponents tried to stop the bill before by submitting hundreds of amendments.
The new law will allow medical cannabis to be used by patients suffering from severe illnesses or post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), resulting in part from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began two years ago.
The legislation, as it was introduced, only lists war-borne 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 daily with other illnesses like Alzheimer’s and epilepsy.
The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs will be responsible for regulating cannabis processing and cultivation operations. The National Police and State Agency on Medicines are also responsible for the oversight and enforcement of cannabis distribution.
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, regardless of how difficult or uncommon they may appear to us, should be applied to Ukraine in order to prevent Ukrainians from having to suffer the stress, pain and 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.”
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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”, which could refer to marijuana tinctures.
Ukraine’s new policy is in stark contrast with that of 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. It has, for instance, condemned Canada’s legalization of marijuana across the country.
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The post Ukraine’s Zelensky signs Medical Marijuana Bill – A Step That He Says Can Heal ‘Pain and Stress of War’ With Russia first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
