Ukraine Legalizes Medical Cannabis

On August 16, a law legalizing medical cannabis came into effect in Ukraine. This means that doctors can now prescribe cannabis-based medications to patients, but they can only be purchased with an electronic prescription.

The main change introduced is the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes. The law does not address recreational use of cannabis-based drugs, as emphasized by the Ministry of Health.
Cannabis, its resin, extracts, and tinctures have been removed from the list of highly dangerous substances. Previously banned, their circulation is now permitted but with restrictions.

Cannabis-based medicines will be available in the form of oral drops, solid capsules, and dental pastes. They can only be purchased with an electronic prescription that specifies the form, dosage, and active ingredients. Patients will be able to transport and store such medicines in quantities specified by one prescription.

All information about these medications will be recorded in a specially created accounting system. Each cannabis plant will have individual coding to track its movement to the patient, and each unit of packaged product will be marked with a barcode.

To obtain the medicines, patients will need an electronic prescription and can only purchase them from licensed pharmacies.

The law clearly restricts the use of cannabis to medical, industrial, scientific, and scientific-technical purposes. Distribution and storage of cannabis for recreational use are considered crimes according to the document.

The Ministry of Health notes that cannabis is effective in treating over 50 pathological conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.