Medical Cannabis Legalization Officially Launches In Ukraine

Ukraine’s Parliament first approved medical cannabis reform in December 2023, with President Volodymyr Zelensky signing the measure on February 15th, 2024. This week the law took effect in Ukraine, paving the way for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and people with serious illnesses to access medical cannabis legally.

Cannabis resin, extracts, and tinctures are now excluded from the list of ‘dangerous substances’ in Ukraine under the new policy. The production of medical cannabis, development of medical cannabis therapies, and distribution of medical cannabis products will be tightly regulated in Ukraine.

“In order to implement the Law, the Ministry of Health team, together with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the State Medical Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police and other executive authorities, have developed by-laws that regulate all processes in detail and will allow the patient to receive medicine from medical cannabis.” Ukraine’s Ministry of Health stated in a news release announcing medical cannabis legalization’s implementation (translated from Ukrainian to English).

“In order to ensure the cultivation of medical cannabis in Ukraine, Licensing conditions have been developed, which will soon be considered by the Cabinet of Ministers.” the Ministry of Health also stated. “Also, the entire chain of circulation of medical cannabis, from import or cultivation to dispensing to a patient in a pharmacy, will be subject to license control.”

Medical cannabis cultivation facilities are required to be operated in ‘closed soil conditions’ with ’round-the-clock video surveillance.’ Additionally, national police must have ‘free access’ to all facilities under the new regulations.

“For cultivation, there is a procedure for purchasing plant seeds – they must have a quality certificate and be registered in the State Register of plant varieties suitable for distribution in Ukraine.” the Ministry of Health stated.

All harvests will be subject to laboratory testing and all ‘laboratory studies’ will be ‘carried out exclusively in state laboratories.’ Every sale/purchase of medical cannabis in Ukraine will be required to go through a centralized electronic system for tracking. The Ministry of Health expects the system to be operational ‘in the fall of this year,’ and the system’s timeline will directly affect the launch of legal sales.

“More than 30 types of operations for more than 10 accounting objects will be recorded and accounted for. The system will include information on the production of medical cannabis seeds, sowing, cloning, planting plants and planting material, sending samples for laboratory testing, collecting plants, transporting, purchasing, manufacturing medicines, destroying waste, dispensing at a pharmacy, etc. Seeds, planting material, plants, intrapharmacy preparations, medicines, waste, etc. will be subject to accounting.” stated the Ministry of Health.

“Medicines from medical cannabis will be made in a pharmacy setting and prescribed by prescription to patients for whom conventional medicines do not have a therapeutic effect or cause adverse reactions that are poorly tolerated.” according to the Ministry of Health. “It will be possible to buy such medicines in Ukraine only with an electronic prescription, which will indicate the dosage form and dosage, the names of the active substances included in their composition. It is expected that medicinal products from medical cannabis will be available to patients in the form of oral drops, hard capsules, and dental pastes.”

“The law allows people entering or leaving Ukraine or transiting through its territory to carry medicinal products based on medical cannabis for their own use in an amount that does not exceed the amount prescribed by a doctor’s prescription.” the Ministry of Health concluded.