Ukraine: MPs propose legalizing medical cannabis

Ukrainian MPs propose to legalize cannabis for medical and scientific use. They filed the bill n°4553 «On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine concerning the regulation of the circulation of cannabis for medical purposes, scientific and technical activities and industry».

«In Ukraine, more than 2 million people suffering from unbearable chronic pain, severe cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease and others need cannabis-based medicines. These medicines help relieve pain, improve sleep, reduce cramps and simply give normal life a chance.» , explained the said Olga Stefanishina, one of the project's authors.

The bill is the result of two years of work carried out by Members of Parliament and representatives of the public sector. It is based in particular on the recommendations issued by the European Union (EU) in 2018 on the use of cannabis in medical practice, and by examining relevant regulations in other EU countries and elsewhere.

«In addition to the opportunity to simplify the circulation of cannabis for medical purposes, the question of the economic feasibility of such regulatory changes deserves particular attention. The use of hemp is widely used in industries such as paper, clothing and textile fiber manufacturing, as well as in the fuel and energy sectors. What's more, hemp is an environmentally-friendly building material (slabs, insulation, concrete plaster, etc.), and homes built with hemp require less energy to build and need less fuel for heating than traditional homes. It is rather difficult to assess the overall profitability of such use, [...] however we can already take into account the facts that show that the use of cannabis around the world brings enormous revenues to countries and contributes to the influx of investment,» the report states.

Many Ukrainian associations have claimed in the past access to medical cannabis for sick people.