On Thursday, Ukrainian lawmakers approved a bill on the legalization of medical cannabis, sending it to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi for signature, Kyiv Post reports.
The draft law was adopted by 248 votes in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which is the country's 450-seat unicameral parliament. According to the proposal, access to cannabis would be legalized for cancer patients and as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which arose in connection with the military defense against Russia, which invaded the country in February 2022.
Under the new law, patients need a doctor's prescription to obtain medical cannabis, and the use of cannabis for recreational purposes remains completely prohibited. To speed up patient access to treatment, the law allows the import of raw materials for the production of cannabis, the report said.
President Zelensky is expected to sign the bill after he expressed his support for cannabis-based drugs in June — and during the 2019 presidential campaign. The new law will enter into force six months after receiving the President's signature.
"The draft law on medical cannabis is aimed exclusively at the treatment of Ukrainians who really need it. Only with a doctor's prescription, only medicinal products and modern production in Ukraine to avoid all possible risks of corruption." — Ukrainian People's Deputy Maria Mezentseva, according to Marijuana Moment.
Although the law only addresses oncology and PTSD, the chairman of the health committee said in July that lawmakers were being pressured to expand it to other serious illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, the report said.
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