On 11 June 2026, in Ukraine, for the first time, patients were able to receive medicinal products based on medical cannabis by electronic prescription. The first such patients were war veterans and patients with multiple sclerosis and cancer. This event marks the transition from the formation of the legislative and regulatory framework to the practical application of new treatment options.
This was the focus of a press conference organized by the "Patients of Ukraine" Charitable Foundation, with the participation of People's Deputy of Ukraine Olha Stefanyshyna, Director of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Edem Adamov, Executive Director of the "Patients of Ukraine" CF Inna Ivanenko, the medical community and patients.
Opening the event, Olha Stefanishyna noted that the path to the introduction of medical cannabis in Ukraine lasted almost ten years and required considerable legislative and regulatory work. She emphasized that the emergence of the first medicinal products based on medical cannabis is an important result of this work, yet this is only the beginning of a new stage, which envisages the development of scientific research, the expansion of indications for use and the improvement of access to treatment for patients.
In his speech, the Director of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Edem Adamanov, emphasized that for the state the key task was not simply to permit the use of medical cannabis, but to create a safe and controlled system for its use.
"We were not launching a product. We were launching a system. Our task was to make the use of medical cannabis safe, controlled and scientifically substantiated," he noted.
According to Edem Adamanov, after the adoption of Law of Ukraine No. 3528-IX it was necessary to form a comprehensive regulatory infrastructure: to regulate the circulation of products, to create mechanisms for the state registration of active pharmaceutical ingredients, to determine the procedure for their prescription and use, to ensure state control and traceability, and also to create conditions for the manufacture of such medicinal products in pharmacy settings.
He separately drew attention to the results of work on forming a new segment of the pharmaceutical market. As of today, 49 applications for state registration of medicinal products and active pharmaceutical ingredients based on cannabis have been submitted to the State Expert Center. 13 APIs are already registered, while others are at various stages of expert evaluation.
Among the already registered active pharmaceutical ingredients are products from manufacturers in Spain, Denmark, Malta, Canada and North Macedonia. Materials from manufacturers in Lithuania, Colombia, Portugal, Israel and other countries are also under review.
During the press conference, Executive Director of the "Patients of Ukraine" Charitable Foundation Inna Ivanenko reported that specialized training on the use of medicinal products based on medical cannabis has already been completed by about 200 doctors.
Participants in the event emphasized that the emergence of the first patients is only the beginning of the system's development. Further priorities remain expanding access to treatment, training doctors, developing domestic production and building up the Ukrainian evidence base on the use of medicinal products based on medical cannabis.
