Ukraine moved swiftly to put a medical cannabis programme in place once Kyiv passed the necessary laws in February 2025.
Although general adult use is still criminalised, Ukraine has recognised 20 conditions for which cannabis may be prescribed and has finalised its national quotas as per the International Narcotics Board.
As of 24 February 2026, the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s medical cannabis sector has transitioned from legislative framework into active operational implementation, marked by the recent approval of national production and import quotas.
This snapshot of the current cannabis landscape in Ukraine, courtesy Chat GTP and related links.
Current Legal Status & Quotas (2026)
In early January 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine officially approved the first-ever quotas for medical cannabis-based substances for the year.
- Production Quota: 493,535 grams of THC (including ∆9 THC).
- Import Quota: 592,168 grams.
- Storage Quota: 592,068 grams.
- Export Quota: 100 grams (primarily for research or sample purposes).
Patient Access & Prescriptions
- Eligibility: Access is limited to patients with one of roughly 20 qualifying conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, and severe PTSD resulting from the ongoing war.
- Electronic System: To prevent misuse, medications are dispensed exclusively via electronic prescriptions. Every plant and product batch is tracked through a unified electronic registration and control system.
- Available Forms: Patients can access treatments in the form of oral drops, hard capsules, and dental pastes.
Market Implementation Timeline
- Feb 2024: President Zelenskyy signed the initial law legalising medical use.
- Aug 2024: The law officially took effect, removing cannabis from the list of “particularly dangerous substances”.
- Jan 2025: The first medical cannabis medicines (oral drops by Spanish firm Curaleaf) were registered for use.
- June 2025: Ukraine issued its first import permits for medical substances to address immediate patient needs while domestic facilities were being established.
- Feb 2026: Doctors now follow standardised methodological recommendations for cannabis-based therapy, with at least 6 substances registered and 18 more in the pipeline.
Key Restrictions
- Recreational Use: Remains strictly prohibited and a criminal offence.
- Cultivation: Subject to 24/7 video surveillance and direct monitoring by the national police.
- Hemp: Industrial hemp (THC < 0.3%) has its own relaxed regulatory framework, allowing for diverse commercial applications
#
