The Ukrainian Parliament adopted the draft law on medical cannabis in the second reading

The Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) adopted draft law No. 7457 on medical cannabis in the second reading.

The MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported this.

248 MPs voted for this decision.

• The draft law regulates the circulation of cannabis only in medical, industrial and scientific activities.
• The distribution of recreational marijuana for recreational use will continue to be a crime that will be investigated by the police in accordance with the law.
• The production of medicines will be strictly controlled at all stages. Only legal entities that receive the appropriate license and GMP certificate will be able to grow under 24-hour video surveillance with access for the National Police. Each bush will have individual coding to track the arrival of plants to patients.
• Medicines based on medical cannabis can be obtained only by electronic prescription. This prescription will be prescribed by the doctor to the patient according to his condition, as is currently the case with morphine.

Next, the law must be signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. If this happens, the law will enter into force 6 months after its promulgation — in the second half of 2024.

• In April 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers legalized the use of some cannabis-based drugs for medical purposes — Nabilone and Nabiximols.
• On July 13, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada supported the first reading of draft law No. 7457 on the legalization of medical cannabis. The draft law proposes to use cannabis, cannabis resin, extracts and tinctures of cannabis for medical, industrial purposes, for scientific and scientific and technical activities. The draft law also proposes to establish clear rules for the production and circulation of cannabis for medical purposes, as France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Slovakia and other countries have already done.