Starting today, the law on the legalisation of medical cannabis comes into force in Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi
reports
It should be noted that the law does not provide for full legalisation, but allows the use of the plant only for medical and scientific purposes. It will help simplify the medical use of medicines that contain cannabis.
Doctors will be able to write e-prescriptions for medicines containing cannabinoids, and patients will be able to store such medicines (if they have a prescription) and enter and leave Ukraine with them if they have a prescription and documents confirming the diagnosis.
It is worth noting that in the context of permitting the circulation of cannabis in certain areas, we are talking exclusively about plants of the genus Cannabis with an acceptable amount of THC, the only phytocannabinoid out of more than 120 that make up cannabis, which has a psychoactive effect on humans if consumed regularly in high concentrations.
Law on the legalisation of medical cannabis
The draft law provides for
- distribution of marijuana for recreational use will continue to be considered a crime and will be investigated by the police in accordance with the law;
- the production of medicines will be controlled at all stages;
- only legal entities that obtain the appropriate licence and GMP certificate will be able to grow cannabis under round-the-clock video surveillance with access for the National Police;
- each plant will be individually coded to track the movement of plants to the patient;
- medicinal cannabis-based drugs will be available only with an electronic prescription, which the doctor will write to the patient according to his or her condition, as is currently the case with morphine.
What is medical cannabis
The medical value of cannabis lies in the cannabinoids, the compounds found in the plant. Most of the cannabinoids have not been well researched to date. The most well-known are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC or THC in Latin) and cannabidiol (CBD). These are the two cannabinoids that are most often mentioned when talking about medical cannabis.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is the narcotic component of cannabis. It is the reason why hemp was classified as a dangerous drug in the XX century. Medical cannabis is not only cannabis with a low content of the narcotic compound THC, but also those with a low percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol.
Treatment with cannabis
The feasibility of therapeutic use of cannabis has been confirmed by scientists for the following conditions
- neurological diseases: multiple sclerosis, epilepsy (according to preliminary findings, cannabis can have a positive effect on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Tourette’s syndrome);
- diseases of the digestive tract (according to convincing evidence, cannabis has a significant positive effect on the relief of side effects during chemotherapy in oncology (especially nausea and vomiting) and side effects associated with HIV/AIDS treatment;
- according to preliminary conclusions, a positive effect is also observed in relation to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, as well as in inflammation and dysfunction of intestinal motility;
- in addition, cannabis-based products are used to increase appetite in diseases that lead to weight loss and exhaustion);
- drug addiction and mental health problems (preliminary evidence shows that cannabis is effective as a substitute therapy for opioids, stimulants (including cocaine) and alcohol, as well as for overcoming anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders and sleep disorders);
- chronic pain of neuropathic origin;
- palliative care (mainly cannabis-based products are used to relieve a range of symptoms in cancer patients in need of palliative care, including pain relief, eating disorders, and sleep).
In addition, it has been scientifically proven that phytocannabinoids have a highly effective antimicrobial effect (on staphylococci and streptococci), and also demonstrate a significant positive effect in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, various diseases of the immune system, arthritis and rheumatism, asthma, various forms of sclerosis, herpes, diabetic neuropathy, anorexia and many other ailments.
The use of cannabis in the world
Thus, as of the date of preparation of this Law, its use for medical purposes (or, depending on the specifics of regulation, the use of drugs made on the basis of hemp) is allowed in 56 countries, including such EU countries as: Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, as well as Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Despite different approaches to ensuring patient access to medicines and products made from cannabis, European countries and the United States, Canada, Australia, and Israel share a tendency to expand their use for the treatment and relief of a number of pathological conditions.