The legalization of medical cannabis is a milestone event, but it also has its drawbacks and shortcomings that may appear very soon. This opinion was expressed in a commentary to UNN by Taras Ratushnyi, a public figure and co-founder of the Freedom March for Drug Policy Reform.
Details
According to Ratushnyi, the adoption of the law on the legalization of medical cannabis is "definitely a milestone event, because it summarizes a whole stage of public, political and expert discussion that has been dragging on for a long time."
"The discussion was not easy, but it was thanks to its intensity that the text was significantly improved, albeit at the cost of significant disadvantages that were promoted in return. The main disadvantage is the decision to leave medical hemp in Schedule I, which is an unjustified and excessive precaution that contradicts European practice," Ratushny said.
Also, according to him, the attempt to harmonize this concept with the requirements of the law of the President of Ukraine (full-fledged scientific research, domestic production of medicines and access to them for all who need them) caused legal conflicts and "gaps" in the draft law No. 7457.
"These shortcomings will be revealed very soon, during the government's implementation of the law, and they will require new legislative solutions," Ratushny added.
In addition, answering the question whether Ukrainians should be afraid of the idea that cannabis will now be sold everywhere in Ukraine, Ratushnyi said: "Today, cannabis is widely sold in Ukraine, in the illicit market - it is the most represented market offer. It is bought not only for pleasure, but also by those who are forced to self-medicate until the state regulates legal access to cannabis medicines."
"If the law works, people will be able to get medicines in pharmacies, and this will hit the criminal market. Therefore, we should be afraid that the law on medical cannabis will not work," the activist said.
Ratushnyi also added that the number of people in need of medical cannabis-based medicines was displayed on the website of the President of Ukraine - more than 2 million people, based on the figures of the Ministry of Health announced in 2019.
"Now monitoring is difficult for objective reasons. But the need has increased. The war has increased the number of patients, and scientific and technological progress has increased the number of medicines and, accordingly, diseases where cannabis components have a positive therapeutic effect," Ratushnyi summarized.
About the cons
Ratushnyi notes that the main disadvantage is the decision to leave medical hemp in the national "List of Narcotic Substances and Precursors" in Table I (especially dangerous drugs, the circulation of which is prohibited). It was planned to remove cannabis and its derivatives from Table I and add them to Table II (limited circulation, but can be used in medicine).
But parliamentarians did not do so, and medical hemp does not cease to be a "particularly dangerous drug, the circulation of which is prohibited."
Recall
The Verkhovna Rada has passed the draft law on medical cannabis (No. 7457) in the second reading. The Ministry of Health notedthat the authorization of the use of cannabis-based medicines in medicine is a historic decision that will benefit a large number of patients.