A petition for the legalization and regulation cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes went up on the website for Ukraine’s unicameral parliament, Verkhovna Rada, on January 30 and has already gained more than 11,000 signatures.
The petition is almost halfway to reaching the 25,000 signatures that it needs by April 30 for the Rada to review it.
Attorney Gennadii Shabas, who is also the head of the Ukrainian Association of Medical Cannabis, created the petition with the support of sixteen public organizations.
“Today in Ukraine more than two million people are denied access to effective treatment,” wrote Shabas in the petition. “Give our fellow citizens access to the effective treatment of drugs used by millions of patients in civilized countries. Key components of these drugs are phytocannabinoid-active components contained in hemp.”
The petition calls for the government to legally regulate access to medicinal cannabis for patients with chronic pain, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, immune disorders, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and many other serious illnesses.
Acting Health Minister Ulana Suprun has come out in support of the petition, pointing out in a Facebook post that patients around the world regularly use medicinal cannabis to ease their suffering and “normalize their well-being across a range of serious illnesses.”
“Yesterday, a petition was filed on the Verkhovna Rada’s site demanding legislative amendments so that cannabis could be used for medical and scientific purposes,” wrote Suprun. “Is such use justified? Scientists, doctors and patients around the world say that it is.”
Shabas writes that policy changes need to be made to ease the suffering of patients and preserve the citizens’ rights to a decent life and access to effective modern treatment.
Signatories:
NGO “Ukrainian Association of Medical Kanabis”
BFP “Blood drop”
“Medicines Control” NGO
Charitable Foundation “Children with Hemophilia”
Charitable Foundation “Patients of Ukraine”
BO “100% Life”
WBO “Time of Life Plus”
FB “STOP Cancer”
NGO “Joy of the Movement” (Children’s rheumatoid arthritis)
State Enterprise “Iskra Hope”
NGO “All-Ukrainian Association of Crystal People”
SBI “Rare Immune Diseases”
NGO “Association of patients with torsion dystonia”
NGO “Mental Health”
NGO “Medicare control”
State Enterprise “Athena”. Women Against Cancer
