The plans to legalize medical cannabis in Ukraine were delayed after the opposition Batkivshchyna blocked the signing , a bill that was approved by Ukraine’s unicameral parliament earlier this month.
According to an report published by the New Voice of Ukraine, the leader of the Batkivshchyna party (Fatherland), Yulia Timoshenko, has stated that her party will appeal to the Constitutional Court in order to annul the legislative vote, because “the bill’s amendments were discussed in a half empty chamber.”
Tymoshenko claimed, as a former Prime Minister of Ukraine, that the proposal will legalize the “drug mafia and drug trafficking in the country” though local media outlets said she had failed to prove her claims.
According to a separate Batkivshchyna press statement, she stated, “I urge you to not vote for this bill because it will create a criminal layer in Ukraine.” This is a major problem for teenagers and people in a bad psychological state due to war. This law is a danger.”
The bill is expected to be blocked until at least mid-January. At that point, the Ukrainian parliament can unblock it and send it on to President Volodymyr Zelensky , who has already indicated his support for the reform .
Olha Stefanishyna reassured supporters of medical marijuana on social media, that this setback was only temporary.
She wrote: “Friends, do not panic.” This is a normal and expected action.
Stefanishyna stated that supporters will break through Tymoshenko’s blockade in January, and “then we will await the signature of President,” Stefanishyna. There is no turning back.
A report by the Russian news agency Tass claims that Tymoshenko believes there is no more need for medical marijuana reforms in Ukraine, as cannabis has been used for cancer and epilepsy treatment for many years. She said that the issue was not medical because drug cartels and narcotics businesses worth trillions of dollars would bribe their ways into Ukraine and establish a large drug trafficking network.
Last week, Ukraine’s unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada passed the legalization bill with 248 votes — , defeating opponents who tried to block the proposal by flooding it with hundreds of amendments that critics called a “spam”.
In order to secure the final vote for the special procedure, 150 lawmakers had to sign a petition. Stefanishyna, 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.
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.
To ensure patient access, this measure allows the importation of raw cannabis material from other countries.
Zelensky for his part, expressed support for the medical marijuana legalization, in June . He stated in an address before the parliament that, “All 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 and all our citizens do not suffer the pain, stress, trauma, and 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 condemned Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana across the board.
Scientists published more than 32,000 marijuana studies over the past 10 years, including thousands in 2023, NORML analysis shows
The post Ukraine’s Medical Marijuana Bill Approved by Lawmakers is Delayed on its Path to Zelensky’s Desk Due To Opposition Tactics first appeared on Marijuana moment.
