Ukrainian deputies have approved the first reading of the draft legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.
Officials voted to pass draft law on regulation of cannabis for medical, scientific and industrial purposes in first reading in Verkhovna Rada [parlement] of Ukraine on Thursday 13 July.
A total of 268 MPs voted in favor of the bill during the plenary session, with President Zelenskyy and Health Minister Viktor Liashko publicly expressing their support.
The bill proposes to create regulatory conditions for the limited legal circulation of cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis extracts and tinctures for their use for medical, industrial and scientific purposes.
Ukrainian MPs voted in favor of the bill. Courtesy of Iryna Rachynska.
Doctors will be allowed to prescribe cannabis-based drugs to treat conditions such as pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The country has endured more than a year of conflict since Russia invaded in February 2022. The Ministry of Health has already estimated that around four million people will suffer not only from post-traumatic stress disorder, but also from other trauma-related mental health problems.
A few weeks ago, Zelenskyy urged MPs to legalize medical cannabis to help the country recover from the “trauma of war”, while in a June 7, 2022 Facebook post, Liashko said there was “no time to lose” in approving the bill that would allow more patients to access “necessary treatment for cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from war”.
A national poll conducted during Zelenskyy’s election campaign also found that 65% of the population favored the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.
Millions of patients will benefit
Activists have been campaigning for the legalization of medical cannabis in Ukraine for several years, believing it could help millions of veterans and patients in the country.
Two previous bills on the regulation of medical cannabis were rejected by the Rada. Ahead of Thursday’s vote, international organizations including the International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM), the IACM Patient Council, the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies and the Drugs Peace Institute Netherlands sent letters and videos in support of the medical use of cannabis.
Iryna Rachynska, from Patients of Ukrainetold CannabisHealth “For six long years, we have fought to persuade our civil servants to vote in favor of making these drugs available in our country. We organized dozens of patient actions, press conferences, patient appeals to parliament, letters, media interviews, but it was too difficult to get our parliamentarians to vote in favor of these drugs. Today, the public sector, patients, the military, doctors, and even celebrities participate in activities in support of the law. »
Iryna Rachynska, from Patients of Ukraine.
Ms Rachynska says many patients were using medical cannabis illegally, with some able to access it legally after fleeing to other European countries with more liberal laws when the conflict broke out.
“In Ukraine, millions of people are suffering from the consequences of war. »
“We already have hundreds of thousands of amputees. The number of people with post-traumatic stress disorder is increasing and the Ministry of Health officially states that four million people will need medical treatment for their psychological disorders. These are people who have lost their families and homes, who have witnessed terrible war events, who have themselves suffered war trauma. The war continues to kill us even when we return home”.
She adds: “In addition, Ukraine has two million patients with serious illnesses who needed medical cannabis before the war. Today, six million people urgently need these drugs”.
A “victory” for Ukrainian civil society
The bill will now go through a series of amendments and proposals before being put to a second vote.
Addressing CannabisHealth Immediately after the vote, Rachynska called the news a “victory” and said the bill had taken the “hardest first step.”
“We have opened up the possibility of alleviating the pain and alleviating the psychological trauma of war for millions of wounded and terminally ill,” she said.
“This is another victory for responsible civil society in Ukraine. This means that civil society has an influence on the parliament and the president and that we have the capacity to build a European path of development and respect for human rights”.
