Plans to legalize medical marijuana in Ukraine have hit a delay as the opposition party Batkivshchyna, led by Yulia Tymoshenko, seeks to block the bill’s signing. Tymoshenko claims the proposed legislation would legalize drug trafficking and the drug mafia, though she hasn’t provided evidence. The bill is expected to remain blocked until mid-January. Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, supports the reform, and Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna assures supporters that the setback is temporary. Tymoshenko argues against further marijuana reform, asserting that cannabis use is already approved for cancer and epilepsy treatment. The bill, which passed the legislature, moves marijuana from List I to List II of the drug code, allowing medical use with a prescription. The Agrarian Policy Ministry will regulate cannabis cultivation, and the law will become effective six months after Zelensky signs it, contrasting with Russia’s strict stance against cannabis reform.
By FCCT Editorial Team
, an independent military force, and allied militias in Sudan raped several dozen women and girls in West Darfur’s capital, El Geneina, and those fleeing to Chad between late April and late June 2023, Human Rights Watch said today. The assailants appear to have targeted people because of their Massalit ethnicity and, in some cases, because they were known activists.){kind=link}