Legalization of medical cannabis: the law came into force

Today, on August 16, the law on the legalization of medical cannabis came into force. The law regulates the production and trafficking of cannabis plants and will create conditions for patients to access the necessary treatment for cancer and other diseases, as well as post-traumatic stress disorders resulting from the war.

This is reported by UNN with reference to Law No. 3528-IX.

Details

As stated in the transitional provisions of the law, it comes into force on the day following the day of its publication and is enforced in six months. The draft law on medical cannabis was adopted in December last year, signed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 13, and published in the parliamentary newspaper Holos Ukrainy on February 15. Accordingly, today, on August 16, the law came into force. 

Zelensky signs law on legalization of medical cannabisFebruary 15 2024, 05:19 PM • 27241 view

The law introduces a new concept of “hemp for medical purposes” - plants of the genus Cannabis grown from conditioned and certified seeds of at least the second generation, belonging to the group of medicinal plant crops and included in the List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors used for the production (manufacture) of medicines, the concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol in dried straw of which is equal to or exceeds 0.3 percent.

The production and circulation of cannabis will be controlled at all stages, and cultivation will be allowed only to legal entities that have obtained the appropriate license and GMP certificate. The cultivation of hemp will be subject to round-the-clock video surveillance and legal entities will need to provide police access to their premises.

Cannabis-based medicines will be available only with an electronic prescription from a doctor based on the patient's condition. Each plant will be individually coded to track the movement of products to the patient.

Traceability of cannabis for medical purposes is ensured by:

• the use of conditioned and certified seeds for the cultivation of hemp for medical purposes, purchased in accordance with the procedure established by the Cabinet of Ministers;
• marking with a unique electronic identifier of each plant, each batch; ensuring the release of medicinal products made from cannabis for medical purposes or cannabis plant substance to persons exclusively on the prescription of a doctor in accordance with medical indications by electronic prescription;
  
• the functioning of the electronic information system for accounting for grown hemp plants for medical purposes.The Ministry of Agrarian Policy will maintain a register of legal entities engaged in sowing, growing and processing of hemp for industrial purposes and provide real-time access to information to the National Police of Ukraine.
  

Protection of the premises where medical cannabis will be grown will be carried out by the security police units of the National Police of Ukraine on a contractual basis.

The cultivation of plants containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is carried out within the quotas set by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Treatment with medicinal cannabis-based products is used in the treatment:

• chronic pain;
•  epilepsy;
• anorexia;
  
• post-traumatic stress disorder;
  
• diseases of the immune system;
  
• arthritis and rheumatism; asthma;
  
• Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and many other serious illnesses.
  

 Appendix

In May, the Cabinet of Ministers excluded cannabis, its resin, extracts, and tinctures from the list of particularly dangerous substances.