Why is it important?
Hold on, it will hurt.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are diagnosed with cancer every year. The same number of people who die every year are adults and children, they are in pain every day.
About 20,000 children currently suffer from epilepsy – severe forms resistant to any medication. Dozens of seizures per day – just imagine.
Every tenth grandparent suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
We are at war and thousands of soldiers are living with PTSD. The same PTSD that causes suicide or harm to others! In the USA, soldiers are given cannabis-based medicine for free, in Ukraine it is a crime to be treated with cannabis.
Thousands of scientific studies confirm the healing properties of hemp. The World Health Organization recommends researching and using this plant in medicine. 37 US states, Canada, Israel, almost all of Europe and Great Britain have legalized medical cannabis.
The Ukrainian authorities have been ignoring science and the needs of patients for years. We created the public organization “Ukrainian Association of Medical Cannabis” to fight for the right of every Ukrainian to be treated with modern, effective medicines.
Lobbying medical
cannabis
We undertook to make legislative changes in our country and obtain official permission for the use of cannabis in Ukrainian medicine. In order to work effectively, we have established close contacts with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior, various state and private medical institutions, as well as with state and non-governmental organizations.
Submitted an electronic petition to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine demanding the decriminalization of the medical use of cannabis, which quickly recruited 25,000 votes for its consideration.
The project hung in the Verkhovna Rada, it was forgotten. In 2020, we will register it again — we believe that compassion and common sense will win.
Legal
assistance
When it comes to relentless pain, patients are looking for any ways to relieve it. World science says that cannabis cures – Ukrainian patients are finding ways to buy or grow such drugs. Other cases are when doctors who see their patients struggling with severe ailments secretly suggest medicines based on cannabis to help them.
Are they right? This does not contradict our moral and ethical principles. But it does contradict the Constitution, which protects the fundamental human right to life and decent treatment. Modern Ukrainian law defines such actions as a criminal offense.
We are not ready to put up with an inhumane legal system. Therefore, we provide free legal assistance to persons charged with using or storing narcotic drugs, if they are:
• Patients who take these medicines to relieve pain;
• Doctors who advise such medications to their patients for good reason.
Educational work with doctors and medical workers
Many Ukrainian doctors do not know about its healing properties or have some prejudices towards the plant.
We are confident that the Bill, which will allow the use of cannabis in medicine that is currently under consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, will soon be adopted. The main impediment to the rapid introduction of cannabis into Ukrainian medical practice may be the lack of knowledge in doctors about the use of this plant for the treatment of patients.
Therefore, one of the main tasks of our organization is the educational work and training of medical personnel of Ukrainian hospitals. We want our doctors to know about world practice in the use of medical cannabis and to introduce this experience in Ukraine, enriching it with their own research.
Educational work with ukrainian citizens
The vast majority of Ukrainians know neither about the healing properties of cannabis, which is powerful medicine that help fight many serious illnesses, nor the fact that cannabis is already actively used in medicine and pharmacology in many countries around the world.
Therefore, educational work with the population is one of the key factors of our activity. To do this, we:
• Arrange lectures and public discussions
• Create a lot of educational content
• Actively work with mass media.
We strive for being able to freely discuss the most complex issues in our society. And we believe that the path chosen will help overcome the negative attitude towards cannabis in the Ukrainian population.