Ukrainian Officials Approve List Of Medical Marijuana Qualifying Conditions Under Country’s New Legalization Law

The Ukrainian government has approved a list of health conditions that will qualify patients for medical marijuana under the country’s cannabis law that was enacted by President Volodymyr Zelensky last month.

On Friday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Health revealed a list of about 20 qualifying conditions for which medical cannabis can be prescribed to patients, while noting that additional conditions could be added down the line if it’s deemed medically appropriate.

Those conditions include multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, shingles, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, complications from chemotherapy, Parkinson’s disease, childhood epilepsy and weight loss associated with eating disorders. The ministry also noted that a medical advisory committee could approve additional conditions in the future.

While Zelensky and other officials have said access to medical cannabis can help soldiers address physical and mental wounds incurred during the nation’s ongoing war with Russia, it doesn’t appear that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is currently a qualifying condition, despite some supporters suggesting as much as the medical marijuana bill moved through the legislative process.

“Taking a medicinal product based on cannabis should be stopped if the desired therapeutic effect is not obtained within 4-12 weeks or in case of serious adverse reactions (including those related to the mental state),” the health ministry said, according to a translation. “We remind you that all activities related to medical cannabis will be strictly controlled by the state, and the recreational (non-medical) use of cannabis remains prohibited.”

As the country has prepared for the rollout of its medical cannabis program, it’s also been able to start importing marijuana products since cannabis was moved from the List I to List II of the country’s drug code, making it available for medical use with a prescription.

Lawmakers approved the medical cannabis legislation last December, but the opposition Batkivshchyna party used a procedural tactic to block it by forcing consideration of a resolution to repeal the measure. That resolution failed in January, clearing its path to enactment.

Opponents previously tried to derail the marijuana bill by filing hundreds of what critics called “spam” amendments, but that attempt similarly failed, with the measure ultimately passing with 248 votes.

The Agrarian Policy Ministry will hold regulatory responsibilities over cannabis cultivation and processing operations. The National Police and State Agency on Medicines will also hold oversight and enforcement authorities related to the distribution of the medicine.

Zelensky, for his part, voiced support for medical marijuana legalization last June, stating in an address to the parliament that “all the world’s best practices, all the most effective policies, all the solutions, no matter how difficult or unusual they may seem to us, must be applied in Ukraine so that Ukrainians, all our citizens, do not have to endure the pain, stress and trauma of war.”

“In particular, we must finally fairly legalize cannabis-based medicines for all those who need them, with appropriate scientific research and controlled Ukrainian production,” he said.

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During his presidential campaign, Zelensky also voiced support for medical cannabis legalization, saying in 2019 that he feels it would be “normal” to allow people to access cannabis “droplets,” which is possibly a reference to marijuana tinctures.

The policy change puts Ukraine is stark contrast to its long-time aggressor Russia, which has taken a particularly strong stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level through the United Nations. The country has condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide, for example.

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