European Union Reportedly Ready To Supply Medical Cannabis To Ukraine
According to Ukraine Deputy Health Minister Maryna Slobodnichenko, the European Union is ready to supply medical cannabis to Ukraine. The nation’s Deputy Health Minister made the announcement in a recent interview with the Ukrainian News Agency.
“They (the European Union) are very happy about our progress in this area. They say – show the consumers, because they have warehouses of medical cannabis that they are ready to supply to us. But we are talking about medicine, and therefore the consumer is not every person, but patients who suffer from clearly defined diseases,” the official of the Ministry of Health said (translated from Ukrainian to English).
Earlier this year, in August 2024, Ukraine’s medical cannabis program officially launched. Ukraine’s Parliament first approved medical cannabis reform in December 2023, with President Volodymyr Zelensky signing the measure on February 15th, 2024.
Cannabis resin, extracts, and tinctures are 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 are to be tightly regulated in the European nation.
“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.”
Ukrainian 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 in its news release in August 2024.
“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 also stated at the time.
