Russian invasion might advance Ukraine plan to legalize medical cannabis

“We understand the negative effects of war on mental health,” notes Ukraine’s healthcare minister.

Article content

The Russian invasion has affected the mental health of many Ukrainians, something that could potentially push the country to legalize medical marijuana.

Article content

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s healthcare minister, Viktor Liashko, wrote on Facebook that the cabinet had approved a bill to legalize medical cannabis, allowing the drug to treat a variety of conditions, among them, the trauma caused by the ongoing conflict.

“We understand the negative effects of war on mental health. We understand the number of people who will need medical treatment due to this exposure. And we understand that there is no time to wait,” the post reportedly reads.

Per National Public Radio, the bill will regulate “the circulation of cannabis plants for medical, industrial purposes, scientific and scientific-technical activities to create the conditions for expanding the access of patients to the necessary treatment of cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from war.”

Article content

Liashko’s post cites reported benefits of cannabis use, including that it has been said to help treat conditions such as PTSD, sleep disorders and neurological diseases.

According to the Kyiv Post, the draft bill will now move on to Parliament where it will need at least 226 votes to be approved. The bill is a reworked version of a previous bill that was denied in 2021, one that some lawmakers believe will have more support now as a result of the country’s ongoing struggle with Russia.

While recreational cannabis remains illegal in Ukraine, the country is slowly moving towards legalizing the plant’s medicinal use. According to a 2020 poll, 65 per cent of respondents supported the use of medical cannabis and President Volodymyr Zelensky campaigned while openly supporting cannabis legislation.

Despite the fact that the bill regulating medical cannabis was denied just last year, the country did legalize the use of certain medical cannabis products.

The FreshToast.com, a U.S. lifestyle site that contributes lifestyle content and, with their partnership with 600,000 physicians via Skipta, medical marijuana information to The GrowthOp.

Subscribe to  Weekend Dispensary, a new weekly newsletter from The GrowthOp.