PTSD Patients Could Be Left Behind As Ukraine's Medical Marijuana Law Takes Effect And More Cannabis Updates Worldwide

PTSD Is Not On Ukraine's Official List Of Conditions For Which Cannabis Can Be Prescribed, At Least For Now

Ukraine’s medical marijuana legalization law took effect earlier this month, some six months after Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a bill legalizing medical cannabis into law.

Even though recent studies have confirmed the potential of cannabis and psychedelics to treat Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the new law in the Eastern European country doesn't explicitly list this condition for which the plant can be prescribed, reported Business Of Cannabis.

That said, the Ukrainian healthcare ministry reported in September 2022 that over 90% of Ukrainians have developed at least one symptom of PTSD since the war started and that 57% are at risk of developing PTSD.

The Ministry of Health refused calls to include PTSD, according to Hanna Hlushchenko, founder of the Ukrainian Cannabis Consulting Group.

"We worked hard to include more conditions, but the Ministry of Health has taken a conservative approach," Hlushchenko said. "For example, we pushed for the inclusion of conditions like insomnia and PTSD, but these were not added."

Read Also: 17 US Veterans Take Their Own Lives Everyday, Here’s How One Cannabis Company Is Trying To Help

Changes In Antigua And Barbuda’s Law To Impose Fines For Public Cannabis Use

In 2018, the Misuse of Drugs Act was amended to decriminalize the possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana in Antigua and Barbuda. Now, the country's government is seeking to again impose stricter rules around the plant as the earlier policy change confused the public use of cannabis, reported Loop Caribbean News.

"To address this, a three-step process was initially prescribed: warnings for first-time offenders, tickets for subsequent violations, and fines for repeat offenders," Information Minister Melford Nicholas said.

"The decision the cabinet took yesterday is to remove layers one and two, and we will go straight to fines."

The sovereign country consisting of two islands, allowed Rastafarians to legally use marijuana for ritual purposes last year, becoming one of the first Caribbean nations to do so.

• Get Benzinga's exclusive analysis and the top news about the cannabis industry and markets daily in your inbox for free. Subscribe to our newsletter here. If you're serious about the business, you can't afford to miss out.

Cannabis Reform In The Bahamas

Meanwhile, the Rastafarian community in The Bahamas could see cannabis reform progressing.

That's according to the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Jomo Campbell who said last week the Office of the Attorney General will address concerns around the cannabis legislation, particularly those from the Rastafarian community.

A Rastafarian leader mentioned potential legal action and recent fundraising efforts for legal counsel. Campbell highlighted the importance of addressing concerns raised during parliamentary debates before fully implementing the cannabis industry, reported The Tribune.

"We still want to make sure that we address some of the concerns," Campbell said. "I'm sure you all remember all of the remarks that were in the press, in the dailies, after the bill was debated in Parliament and the Senate. And so, as we have the opportunity to iron out some of those wrinkles, we want to take full advantage of it. So when we produce this to the Bahamian public, it's the best product that it could possibly be."

Last month, the country's Prime Minister Phillip Davis said he supports a collection of bills to legalize the medical and religious use of cannabis, as well as a push to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

Read Also: Religious Marijuana Use To Legalization Efforts: Everything You Need To Know About Global Cannabis

Allowing THC Edibles In Harm Reduction Associations Does Not Violate EU Rules

Cannabis lobby group ReLeaf Malta argues that permitting THC edibles to be sold at harm reduction associations would not be against European Union legislation, as THC is a controlled substance under international drug policy, reported Malta Today.

"It is unfortunate that cannabis consumption is banned within Associations. It is also disproportionate to ban consumption of cannabis where tobacco use is permitted," the NGO responded to comments from the Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis head Joey Reno Vella, who said sales of THC edibles would break food rules.

Read Next:

• 3 Years After Cannabis Reform In Malta, Regulator Says Harm Reduction Approach Is Working & More Pot Updates Across Europe