President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the legalization of medical cannabis in Ukraine. He stated this during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) on the occasion of the Constitution Day.
According to him, it is important to use the worldʼs best practices in physical and mental rehabilitation in Ukraine, "no matter how difficult or unusual they may seem to us."
"So that all our citizens, Ukrainian men and women, do not have to endure the pain, stress and trauma of war, in particular, we must finally honestly legalize cannabis-based medicine for everyone who needs it," Zelensky emphasized.
And he added that for this there should be special scientific research and controlled Ukrainian production.
- Before the presidential elections, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he supports the legalization of prostitution, medical marijuana, and the gambling business.
- During the local elections, President Volodymyr Zelensky initiated a survey in which he called on Ukrainians to answer whether they believe, in particular, that it is worth allowing the use of medical cannabis for the seriously ill. More than 60% of people who took part in the survey spoke in favor of this.
- In April 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers legalized the use of some cannabis-based drugs for medical purposes, namely: Nabilone and Nabiximols.
- On June 2, 2021, draft law No. 5596 was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which proposes to allow the use of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. Almost all experts and human rights defenders expressed their support for this draft law. They also said that the text and norms of the law were agreed with law enforcement officers and representatives of religious organizations.
- In July 2021, President Volodymyr Zelensky tried to find out why some of them did not support the draft law on the legalization of medical cannabis.