What you see here isn’t just two scanned documents signed by Ukraine’s Minister of Health, Maksym Stepanov. 

This is nothing less than a slap in the face to all patients who hoped that medical cannabis would help relieve their pain, nausea, muscle spasticity, and more. 

To all the parents of children with epilepsy who need cannabis-based medications. 

To everyone forced to choose between buying cannabis or cannabis-based medicines on the black market — risking poor-quality products or raids by the drug enforcement department — or enduring unbearable pain. 

This concerns a draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers signed by Ukraine’s Minister of Health, Maksym Stepanov. 

It’s an appendix to the draft resolution signed by Maksym Stepanov. 

Back in December last year, Members of Parliament publicly announced that there was no need for a separate law to legalize medical cannabis and that a Cabinet resolution transferring cannabis from the list of prohibited substances to the list of controlled substances would suffice. 

The Ministry of Health agreed and publicly supported this initiative. 

Meanwhile, the global legal cannabis market is booming. 

What we’re looking at here is not merely a resolution, but a vivid example of lobbying by specific pharmaceutical importers, who under the pretext of legalizing medical cannabis, simply pushed through their particular drugs — and the Minister eagerly signed off on it. 

This is not just a case of incompetence; it’s a direct example of corruption. 

We demand a proper Law for Sofiika — a law that would allow all patients to access cannabis-based medications and finally be free from pain! 

The greed of one person cannot impose a $640 tax on all patients who need these medicines today — even Ukrainian drug dealers sell them cheaper! 

Dmytro Sherembey, Head of the NGO “100% LIFE,” exclusively for UP. Life 

Even during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, this resolution was discussed as a measure that could improve the lives of many. It was meant to be the first step toward helping all patients in need of cannabis-based medications, scientists wishing to study this plant, and pharmacists ready to produce or import such medicines. 

A special interdepartmental working group was pompously created to improve regulatory acts concerning the circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogs, and precursors. 

Based on the minutes of this group’s meetings, a draft resolution was developed, allegedly allowing Ukrainian patients access to cannabis-based medicines. 

But what do we see now? 

Here it is — this resolution, loudly presented as “the legalization of medical cannabis you all wanted.” 

Yet it includes only two drugs containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD): Nabilone and Nabiximols. They cost $2,055 and $640, respectively. 

• Nabilone is used to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. 

• Nabiximols (marketed as Sativex) is used to relieve muscle spasticity in multiple sclerosis. 

Even Epidiolex, a medication for drug-resistant epilepsy that could help around 18,000 children in Ukraine, didn’t make it into this short but telling list approved by Minister Stepanov!