Ukraine’s parliament voted on Thursday to legalize the use of cannabis for medical purposes after activists and supporters of the measure called for such a law to treat people wounded or traumatized by the war against Russia, Reuters reported.

Deputy Yaroslav Yelezhnyak reported that 248 People’s Deputies voted for the draft law, which exceeds the majority required for the adoption of the draft law.

Maria Mezentseva, one of the deputies who lobbied for the adoption of the bill in the parliament, said that 6 million Ukrainians, including cancer patients, civilians with post-traumatic stress and wounded soldiers, need medicinal cannabis.

The war, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 last year, has killed tens of thousands of people in Ukraine, razed entire cities to the ground and displaced millions of people. The hostilities are currently ongoing with no real prospect of their cessation.

The other day, President Putin said he was ready to “go to the end” to protect what he called “the interests of his country.”

Ukrainians will be able to buy cannabis medicines only with an electronic prescription

The law on the legalization of the use of cannabis for medical purposes will now be sent to President Volodymyr Zelensky for promulgation.

One of her fiercest opponents is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She, currently a member of the unicameral parliament of Kyiv, claims that the legalization of medicinal cannabis will lead to the spread of drug use in Ukraine.

However, the recreational use of cannabis will remain prohibited, and the draft law will impose strict controls on the production of medical cannabis, including 24-hour video surveillance of shops that will be allowed to sell it.

In addition, medicines that contain medical cannabis will only be able to be dispensed with an electronic prescription to prevent counterfeiting.

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