The Ukrainian Parliament has voted in favor of legalizing medical cannabis.
The bill, proposed by Prime Minister Denys Smyhal, awaits official approval from President Zelensky and is expected to come into force in six months. The decision comes after a period of debate and is driven in part by the ongoing war with Russia.
❕@GolosZmin party was the first in the @verkhovna_rada to insist on the importance of legalizing medical cannabis in Ukraine. Today it's done ✅ Keep working! pic.twitter.com/ahKDHsGN6R
— Kira Rudik (@kiraincongress) December 21, 2023
Ukraine's unicameral parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed the bill by an overwhelming majority of 248 votes to 16, despite opposition and numerous “spam” amendments filed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must now sign the bill for it to take effect, and lawmakers estimate patients will be able to start receiving prescriptions in the second half of 2024.
Mr. Zelenskyy gave his support for legalization in a speech to the nation on June 28.
“All the best practices in the world, all the most effective policies, all solutions, even if they seem difficult or unusual to us, must be applied in Ukraine so that Ukrainians, all our citizens, do not have to endure pain , the stress and trauma of war,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Bill 7457 authorizes the cultivation of medical cannabis, the manufacture of processed products and medicines derived therefrom and the prescription of medical cannabis by Ukrainian doctors. Patients with a cannabis prescription will also be allowed to enter or leave Ukraine with small quantities of the medication. The Ministry of Health will determine the specific conditions and medications permitted under the new law.
