Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on the use of cannabis for medical purposes after activists called for such a measure to treat people injured or traumatized by the war unleashed by Russia, Reuters reports.

More than 6 million people, including cancer patients, civilians with post-traumatic stress disorder and wounded military personnel, will need cannabis-containing medicines, according to the Ukrainian lawmaker who initiated the law.

Zelenskyi’s law will not take effect until six months after its official publication, and the ban on the sale or supply of recreational cannabis will remain in place.

In December, the Ukrainian parliament voted to legalize the medical use of cannabis, but politicians from the party of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko opposed it. One of the fiercest opponents of the law is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, now a deputy, who claims that the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes will lead to the spread of drug use in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine supported the law and intends to present a list of diseases and conditions for which medical cannabis must be prescribed.

The legislation provides for special licenses for the cultivation and sale of cannabis, as well as 24-hour video surveillance of growers, available to the police.

In addition, drugs that will contain cannabis will be able to be dispensed only with an electronic prescription to prevent their falsification.