On October 28, the Obiektyvna Realnist [objective reality], Narkopolityka [addiction policy] and Yedynyi Dosvid [united experience] public organizations with involvement of the Ukrainian Cannabis Association will march in Kyiv demanding to de-criminalize storage of cannabis without intention to sell currently treated as a legal offense under the article of circulation of drugs.
Rally organizers wrote this on Facebook, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
There are other non-government organizations and informal groups that are expected to march.
The participants will gather near the Cabinet's building at 12 p.m., and from there will walk down Hrushevskoho street to the Ministry of Heath.
Among other demands, the rally will call for allowing legal access to medical cannabis for Ukrainian patients who suffer from lack of efficient treatment under the current health care.
In particular, the rally members call to amend the decision No.188 of the Ministry of Health that defines five grams of cannabis as a permitted limit, all beyond it prosecuted under a drugs and narcotic substances non-proliferation law.
Rally activists argue that this is the lowest storage level permitted among European countries, and that it has more chances of targeting individuals who store the substance for private use than actually drug dealers who have more sophisticated ways to avoid being caught and punished.
Rally activists call on government to adopt a law on use of cannabis for scientific research to drive development of anesthetics and other medical drugs.
In April, Ukrainian scientists addressed the Cabinet with an open letter requesting to regulate the scientific use of cannabis to study its healing qualities.
The demand has received endorsement from over 40 Ukrainian scientists.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on September 26, the National Police seized approximately 20 kilograms of cannabis and hash from a citizen of Berdiansk (Zaporizhia region).
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