The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Health of the Nation, Medical Care and Health Insurance recommended to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to adopt in the second reading and as a whole the government draft law “On Regulation of the circulation of cannabis plants (Cannabis) for medical, industrial purposes, scientific and scientific-technical activities to create conditions for expanding access of patients to the necessary treatment of cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from war” (registration No. 7457 of 10.06.2022).
The bill aims to implement best practices in the regulation of the restricted circulation of cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis extracts and tinctures, and tetrahydrocannabinol (its isomers and their stereochemical variants) in order to create conditions for improving patient access to necessary treatment and research.
What does the bill propose?
- create regulatory conditions for the licit limited circulation of cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis extracts and tinctures, and tetrahydrocannabinol for legally defined purposes, in particular for medical, industrial, scientific and technical purposes;
- establish requirements and define the specifics of the controlled circulation of cannabis plant varieties in certain areas of activity in accordance with the requirements of international law;
- to determine the requirements for economic entities that may carry out operations related to the turnover of varieties of cannabis plants (Cannabis);
- Introduce the potential use of cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis extracts and tinctures, and tetrahydrocannabinol for medical, scientific and research purposes;
- To contribute to improving the level and quality of health care by ensuring the realization of the right to health care through the use of more effective medicines and treatments, in particular in the field of palliative care, which, inter alia, is based on symptomatic treatment, namely pain relief.
As said the chairman of the VR Committee on the Nation’s Health, Medical Care and Health Insurance Mikhail Radutsky, during the regular meeting of the Committee, amendments to the second reading of the government bill No. 7457 were considered.
“We propose that military personnel suffering from PTSD, anxiety disorders, patients with epilepsy, cancer patients and palliative patients suffering from chronic pain should be allowed to be treated with such drugs. Considering the consequences of a full-scale war, we are talking about millions of our citizens,” the MP said.
As we wrote, on July 13, 2023, the VR supported the bill No. 7457 in the first reading. The second reading received 840 amendments from deputies. The largest number of changes concerns access to treatment of patients and strengthening control over production.
Specifically, the following changes to the second reading are discussed:
- The Act requires the Government to move medical cannabis in the Schedule of Narcotic Drugs from Schedule 1 (illegal drugs) to Schedule 2 (permitted under strict controls)
- Allow the import of raw materials so that patients do not have to wait several years, but almost immediately get the right drug in pharmacies
- The Ministry of Agrarian Policy maintains a register of legal entities engaged in the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp (access to the register is provided by the National Police)
- Laboratory control of THC will be carried out exclusively in state specialized laboratories (Ministry of Internal Affairs, SBU, State Border Service, Ministry of Justice, Gosliksluzhba)
- A ban on the sale of cannabis plants and cannabis products with any tetrahydrocannabinol content for recreational use has been introduced
- Patients may possess, transport and store cannabis medications in cases of medical use and in quantities determined by a single prescription.
“I note that even some populist MPs have changed their position and support the bill. Therefore, I expect that parliament will support the document and we will manage to start treating Ukrainian patients with cannabis-based medical products as soon as possible,” Radutskyy said.
