The Cabinet of Ministers has removed two cannabinoid preparations from the list of illegal drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors.
According to government resolution No. 324 dated April 7, 2021, public control measures are not applied to the substance cannabidiol isolate, the circulation of psychotropic substances Dronabinol, Nabilon and Nabiximols is allowed only in the form of medicines or in the form of substances intended for the production and manufacture of such medicines.
The changes will make it possible to create mechanisms for the use of drugs containing cannabinoids in medical practice, ensuring their prescription and use in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine with measures to control their circulation.
The decision to legalize medical cannabis will be made, but not hastiliy, Mykhailo Radutsky, head of parliament’s committee on national health, has said.
“We believe that medical cannabis should be available in the country, but we do not want to rush with this issue … We do not promise to do this in turbo mode, we will study very carefully so that, God forbid, not to make mistakes. Do not expect a quick decision from us, but there will be a solution, and this initiative is definitely not bad for the country,” Radutsky said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
He recalled that several bills on the use of medical cannabis are under consideration by the relevant committee.
According to David Arakhamia, the leader of the Servant of the People faction, the legalization of medical cannabis is a very good initiative.
“We are talking about medical use with very high state control. This must be done because two million people in Ukraine feel pain every day,” said Arakhamia.
The Ukrainian Association of Medical Cannabis nongovernmental organization has sent an electronic petition to the Verkhovna Rada seeking to legalize cannabis for the scientific and medical purposes.
Activists are demanding to legally regulate patients’ access to cannabis drugs in the treatment of chronic pain, epilepsy, anorexia, post-traumatic syndrome, immune system diseases, arthritis and rheumatism, asthma, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, degenerative chorea, herpes, ulcers, AIDS weight loss, diabetic neuropathy, various forms of sclerosis and other serious diseases.
According to the petition, the text of which is posted on the website of the parliament on Wednesday, the use of drugs based on cannabis is regulated by the laws in Canada, the United States, Australia and EU member states.
To date, the petition has collected about 200 signatures.
In Ukraine, the use of medical cannabis is prohibited.
