Ukraine’s Zelenskyy signs medical cannabis bill into law

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed the country’s medical cannabis legislation into law, setting the legal stage for the creation of Europe’s newest medical market.

The development was first reported on the Ukrainian Association of Medical Cannabis’ Facebook page.

In December, Ukraine’s Parliament gave the green light to a law that sets the legal foundation for a medical cannabis industry.

Now the government has three months to develop a draft of regulations to govern the industry.

The product types and qualifications to prescribe cannabis also are among the details that must be defined, in addition to the list of qualifying conditions and allowable methods of using the drug.

Medical cannabis will be distributed in pharmacies to patients with certain conditions and a prescription from a physician, meaning Ukraine’s market will more closely resemble pharma-focused European regulatory models.

The law will take effect in six months, around August.

Imports could play a big role in the early years of Ukraine’s medical cannabis industry, though specific rules still must be determined.

Medical cannabis is unlikely to be covered by the country’s universal health care scheme, but that has yet to be decided.

Hanna Hlushchenko, an independent European medical cannabis adviser, told MJBizDaily she is optimistic imports could start as early as 2025.

The law is available here.