Support Medicinal Cannabis for the
patients of the Russian War in Ukraine
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President Zelensky in Parliament, June 28th:
“.. so that Ukrainians, all our citizens do not have to endure the pain, stress, and trauma of war. In particular, we must finally fairly legalize cannabis-based medicines..... " |
On February 13, 2024, president Zelensky signed the medicinal cannabis bill into law!
Message from Olga Stefanyshyna, member of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine and driving proponent of the bill:
“Dear Friends of Ukraine, thank you all for this birthday present! Yes, our President signed a law on medical cannabis! And yes, this is our common victory and the titanic work of many people. Now our main task as a country is to implement it for the benefit of patients. And we will do it and keep looking forward for your continued interest and help.
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On December 21 the law on medical cannabis was finally adopted in second reading in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada.
Congratulations to Olga Stefanyshyna, Inna Ivanenko and Dima Sherembei, founders of “Patients of Ukraine.” After a 5-year long advocacy campaign and two earlier failed medical cannabis bills, the third attempt has succeeded in time for a desperately needed X-mas present.
Against all odds, because a flood of ‘spam’ amendments was recently introduced by the religious conservatives of Yulia Timoskenko. Olga Stefanyshyna, the leading MP on the bill’s adoption in parliament arranged for a special procedure that only reviewed a shortened version of the spams, which consisted of fake stories about “Colombia on the Dnipro,” the “Kyiv drug cartels,” and the healing prayers of Yulia’s Motherland party. The vote passed with 248 of the 450 members of the Verkhovna Rada and is now ready for the president to sign.
This is a victory for millions of patients, particularly for the veterans and the military personnel in the trenches. As we are regularly told by president Zelenski, Ukraine fights for democracy and the rule of law in Europe. The Drugs Peace Institute and its friends are happy that our Ukrainian freedom fighters may now use this medicine.
“Thanks to ‘Patients of Ukraine’. Be blessed for this glimmer of hope in these defining times of murder in Ukraine and a new infanticide in Bethlehem.” |
Today, July 13th, the Verkhovna Rada - the Ukranian Parliament - voted with 268 votes of its
450 members bill 7465 to legalize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis for medicinal use.
To the relief of many, as Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the religiously oriented Homeland Party, had withdrawn her support a day prior to the vote.
The bill will now go back to the commission to make the necessary amendments before it can be presented to parliament in its final form and send to president Zelensky to be signed and become law. |
Thanks to all the supporters of the campaign
who helped make this historical vote possible
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Kyiv, Ukraine, July 13th: Ladies of the staff of the "Patients of Ukraine" foundation surrounding its executive director Inna Ivanenko, second from the right, with Adriaan and Frans Bronkhorst from the Drugs Peace Institute, celebrating moments after the radio had announced that the use of medicinal cannabis had been accepted by the national parliament. |
New schedule for the discussion and passage of the medicinal cannabis bill
in the
Verkhovna Rada - Parliament
July 6th: Health Commission
July 13th: Full Chamber |
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In the present Russian war in Ukraine many soldiers are wounded, daily.
They all need care and with care come medicines, which are often in short supply. The ‘Patients of Ukraine’ Foundation, representing some 50+ patients’ groups have been fighting for quite some years now for the legalization of medicinal cannabis in Ukraine.
At the beginning of the next month of July 2023, the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, will debate and vote the medical cannabis bill. European patients and doctors who rely on cannabis as medicine and sympathizers are asked to support their fight in the short remaining time.
The DPI wholeheartedly supports legal medical cannabis for all the victims of this war.
The following documents give a picture of the healing potential of medicinal cannabis, the need for it among the war's victims, as well as the opposition to its use by the foremost UN office on crime:
1. Letter from Inna Ivanenko, executive director of “Patients of Ukraine”
2. Correspondence with the presidency of the “International Alliance for Cannabinoid Medicines”
3. Letter from Béatrice Budin, renowned French cannabis activist
4. Letter from the DPI to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director
Please help all the war's patients to get the care they need and petition
Mr. Ruslan Stefanchuk,the head of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, to accept the findings about the beneficial qualities of medicinal cannabis as attested by the World Health Organization and to vote the medical cannabis law.
Petition to Mr. Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
Invitation to organizations of patients, veterans, medical doctors, personnel
and students, and of harm reduction and human rights defendants and to
individual medical doctors to petition before July 15, 2023, the Ukrainian
parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, when it will vote the medicinal cannabis bill.
There are two ways to petition:
1. Organizations are invited to sign a petition to Mr. Stefanchuk with the following text:
“Dear Sir, we write to you in the hope that during the important debate in your Parliament
on
the acceptance of medical cannabis for the victims of the Russian war in the Ukraine, you
will think of their healing at the moment of your vote. Cannabis patients and doctors will
applaud.”
Sign the petition
2. Organizations and individual doctors who wish to freely define their petition text are
invited to send an email to Mr. Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, c/o
Patients of Ukraine Foundation, petition@patients.org.ua
Thank you for petitioning
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