The Ukrainian parliament may adopt a bill on the legalization of cannabis for medical use as early as mid-July, Oleksandr Kornienko, the leader of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party, said on Monday
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th June, 2021) The Ukrainian parliament may adopt a bill on the legalization of cannabis for medical use as early as mid-July, Oleksandr Kornienko, the leader of the pro-presidential Servant of the People party, said on Monday.
Earlier this month, a group of Ukrainian lawmakers submitted a proposal on the legalization of medical marijuana to parliament. According to the deputy head of the Servant of the People faction, Yevhenia Kravchuk, the proposed bill implies a restricted, transparent and controlled distribution of the psychoactive drug in Ukraine strictly for medical and scientific purposes. The bill, however, is facing strong opposition within the parliament.
"We will negotiate. In the end, this law is much tougher than the previous proposals," Kornienko told the RBC Ukraine news agency, adding that he thinks that "we will vote before the end of the [parliamentary] session [in July] or, perhaps, in September."
There is no urgency around the legislation, as, according to Kornienko, the Ukrainian health ministry has already greenlit some drugs to be imported into the country.
The first official to lobby medical cannabis in Ukraine was former acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun, who cited the product's proven efficiency in treatment and the fact that several other countries had legalized it. Last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated an all-Ukrainian poll, which included a question on the legalization of cannabis. It was supported by 70% of respondents.
