The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has supported a bill on the use of medical cannabis preparations for the treatment of certain diseases, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko said on his Facebook page.
“We have prepared a legislative framework to ensure the full production cycle of cannabis-based drugs in Ukraine: from cultivation and processing to full-fledged production,” Lyashko said.
He also noted that cannabis medicines should not be identified with narcotic substances, since they do not have a psychoactive effect, and the measures for regulating their circulation are different.
“Medical” cannabis contains cannabidiol, which does not have a pronounced psychoactive effect, so it is not interesting for recreational use. At the same time, we still propose to establish strict control over the cultivation, production and sale of drugs, understanding the sensitivity of this issue in society,” Lyashko explained.
Cannabis-based preparations are used to reduce pain, muscle spasms and cramps, treat anorexia, PTSD and anxiety disorders. In addition, they are used in the treatment of certain types of epilepsy, glaucoma, psoriasis, parkinsonism, and multiple sclerosis. An important task of this medicine is to alleviate pain and suffering for seriously ill and palliative patients, including cancer patients, patients with HIV.