Following the legalization of medical marijuana in Ukraine earlier this year, a lawmaker announced this week that the first batch of registered marijuana drugs will be launched in Ukraine as early as next month.
According to local Ukrainian media reports, Olga Stefanishna, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance, and Medical Insurance, stated at a press conference in Kiev that “all conditions for patients to obtain medical cannabis products today are ready, except for the medical cannabis products themselves. In addition to the regulatory system, someone needs to register these cannabis drugs in Ukraine.”
“As of now, to my knowledge, the first batch of cannabis drug registrations are already underway,” Stefanishna said. We are very optimistic that Ukraine will be able to prescribe genuine medical marijuana drugs by January next year. ”
According to the Odessa Daily and the Ukrainian State News, Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a medical marijuana bill in February this year, which subsequently legalized medical marijuana in Ukraine. This legal change officially came into effect this summer, but there are currently no specific medical marijuana products on the market as government departments are working to establish drug related infrastructure.
In August, officials issued a statement clarifying the scope of application of the new policy.
At that time, the Ministry of Health stated in a statement that “cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts, and tinctures are not on the list of particularly dangerous substances. Previously, the circulation of these substances was strictly prohibited. Although they are now allowed, there are still certain restrictions.”
“In order to ensure the cultivation of medical cannabis in Ukraine, the government has established licensing conditions, which will soon be reviewed by the Ukrainian Cabinet,” the regulatory department added. In addition, the entire circulation chain of medical marijuana, from import or cultivation to distribution in pharmacies to patients, will be subject to license control.
This law legalizes medical marijuana for the treatment of severe war diseases and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients caused by the ongoing conflict between the country and Russia, which has been ongoing for two years since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Although the text of the bill explicitly lists cancer and war related post-traumatic stress disorder as only diseases eligible for medical marijuana treatment, the chairman of the Health Commission stated in July that lawmakers hear the voices of patients with other serious illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy every day.
Last December, Ukrainian lawmakers approved a medical marijuana bill, but the opposition party Batkivshchyna used procedural tactics to block the bill and forced a resolution to repeal it. In the end, the resolution failed in January of this year, clearing the way for the legalization of medical marijuana in Ukraine.
Opponents had previously attempted to block the legalization of marijuana by proposing hundreds of amendments that critics called “garbage,” but this attempt also failed, and the Ukrainian medical marijuana bill was ultimately passed with 248 votes.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Agricultural Policy will be responsible for regulating the cultivation and processing of medical marijuana, while the National Police and National Drug Administration will also be responsible for supervising and enforcing matters related to the distribution of marijuana drugs.
Ukrainian patients can first obtain imported drugs. The origin of the first batch of drugs depends on foreign manufacturers who have the necessary quality documents and have passed the registration stage, “Stefanishna said earlier this year. Ukraine will approve the cultivation of medical marijuana later As for the qualification requirements, “we are working hard to expand and at least meet the same conditions as Germany, so that as many patients as possible who must use cannabis drugs for treatment can access these drugs,” she added.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has expressed support for legalizing medical marijuana by mid-2023, stating in a speech to parliament that “all the best practices, most effective policies, and solutions in the world, no matter how difficult or unusual they may seem to us, must be implemented in Ukraine so that all Ukrainians no longer have to endure the pain, pressure, and trauma of war .
The President said, “Especially, we must ultimately legalize marijuana drugs fairly for all patients in need through appropriate scientific research and controlled production within Ukraine The change in Ukraine’s medical marijuana policy is in stark contrast to its long-standing aggressor Russia, which has held a particularly strong opposition to marijuana policy reform at international levels such as the United Nations. For example, Russia has condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.
As for the role played by the United States on the international stage, a recent report released by two organizations criticizing the global drug war found that American taxpayers have provided nearly $13 billion in funding for global drug control activities over the past decade. These organizations argue that these expenditures often come at the expense of efforts to eradicate global poverty, and instead contribute to international human rights violations and environmental destruction.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, senior UN officials called on the international community to abandon punitive criminal drug policies, stating that the global war on drugs has “completely failed”.
“Criminalization and prohibition have failed to reduce the incidence of drug abuse and prevent drug-related criminal activities,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volk Turk said at a conference held in Warsaw on Thursday. These policies have not worked – we have let down some of the most vulnerable groups in society. “The attendees of the conference included leaders and industry experts from various European countries.
Post time: Dec-17-2024