Draft bill #7457 of June 10, 2022 

Status: passed in the second reading 

Who is affected: doctors, patients, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, the National Police, and the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drug Control 

Summary: 

  • circulation of cannabis plant varieties for medical purposes, along with products of their processing and medicinal products derived from them, will be permitted in scientific, technical, and medical activities 
  • circulation of such medicinal products will be monitored: 
    • each batch and item will be labelled with a barcode 
    • only certified seeds will be used for the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes 
    • an electronic registry of records will be maintained 
    • medicinal products will only be issued to individuals having a doctor’s prescription for a specific diagnosed condition 
  • licensing of the cultivation of cannabis plants for medical purposes will be introduced. The license will specify the varieties allowed to be cultivated, their characteristics, areas, and addresses of facilities and premises where such activity is permitted 
  • the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food will be obliged to maintain a registry of legal entities that sow, grow, and process cannabis plants for industrial purposes and provide real-time access to this information to the National Police 
  • companies will be obliged to keep records and control the use of cannabis plants in a manner prescribed by the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drug Control 
  • it will be allowed to store narcotic and medicinal cannabis products without having special premises or equipment, provided that the quantity does not exceed the volume specified in a prescription issued by a doctor 
  • only individuals having an electronic prescription issued by a licensed medical practitioner will be allowed to buy medicinal cannabis products. The procedure will be defined by the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drug Control 
  • it will be prohibited to sell cannabis plants and cannabis products containing any amount of tetrahydrocannabinol for recreational use 
  • retail sales of medicinal cannabis products will be permitted in all pharmacies — communal, state, and private — provided they hold a license for such activity. 

What is right: 

  • the law challenges drug-related organized crime that continues the illicit sale of cannabis products despite the long-standing prohibition introduced by the state 
  • the decriminalization of the distribution and circulation of medicinal cannabis products will help to treat patients with serious illnesses. 

Additional information: 

Ok, So What? podcast, ep.117: Cannabis legalized, but there’s a catch