Ukraine Sets Medical Cannabis Qualifying Conditions

Officials with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health have approved a list of health conditions to qualify patients for the country’s new medical cannabis program, Marijuana Moment reports.

Per the rules, the program covers about 20 conditions including cerebral palsy, childhood epilepsy, chemotherapy-related complications, neuropathy, shingles, Parkinson’s disease, and weight loss due to eating disorders. The program does not specifically list post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying condition despite messaging by supporters, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, that suggested medical cannabis would be available to those affected by the country’s ongoing war with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Health officials can add additional qualifying conditions down the road.

The new cannabis program was signed into law by the president earlier this year and took effect last month. Under the law, the Agrarian Policy Minister will set cannabis cultivation and processing regulations, and the National Police and State Agency will regulate the distribution of medical cannabis products.

President Zelensky said during an address to Parliament last year that the country should employ “all the world’s best practices,” specifically calling to “finally fairly legalize cannabis-based medicines for all those who need them, with appropriate scientific research and controlled Ukrainian production.”

Zelensky also voiced support for the legalization of medical cannabis during his 2019 campaign for president.