Ukraine allowed to import medical cannabis for the first time

Ukraine has issued the first permit for the import of medical cannabis, the State Service of Ukraine for Medicines and Drug Control reported.

"On June 2, 2025, the State Medical Service issued the first permit for the right to import medical cannabis substances into the territory of Ukraine. The permit was issued for a substance that is registered in Ukraine and included in the State Register of Medicinal Products of Ukraine," the report said.

This is not cannabis for recreational use, but rather a medical substance used in medicine or to make medicine.

The first medical cannabis-based medicine in Ukraine was registered in January. These are oral drops from the Spanish manufacturer Curaleaf. The Ukrainian Medical Cannabis Association said that the first drops based on medical cannabis could appear in production pharmacies in the first half of 2025.

Such drugs will be available to patients with diseases included in the Ministry of Health's approved list of diseases and conditions for which medical cannabis is prescribed.

In particular, this concerns chronic or neuropathic pain, nausea, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, anorexia, etc.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 6 million people in Ukraine need medical cannabis-based medicines.

• Law No. 3528-IX on the legalization of medical cannabis came into force in Ukraine on August 16, 2024. Medical cannabis-based medicines are permitted in 56 countries.
• On October 8, the government changed the rules for accounting for medical cannabis.