Medical cannabis medicines: what has changed for patients
Ministry of Health Order No. 706 was registered with the Ministry of Justice on 8 July 2026 under No. 1006/46400.
This concerns so-called extemporaneous preparations – medicines which a pharmacist prepares in a pharmacy for a specific patient, either on a doctor’s prescription or at the request of a healthcare facility.
The new rules do not permit the unrestricted purchase of cannabis and do not authorise the sale of such products without a doctor’s prescription.
How patients can obtain the medicine
Medicines made from medical cannabis, prepared in a pharmacy, will only be dispensed on the basis of an electronic prescription. In this prescription, the doctor must specify the form of the medicine, the dosage and the composition of the active ingredients.
It will not be possible to purchase the product at every pharmacy. The pharmacy must hold a licence to handle controlled substances, be authorised to manufacture such medicines, and be registered in the electronic medical cannabis record-keeping system.
The pharmacy is obliged to record all operations – from receiving raw materials to dispensing the finished medicine to the patient – in the state electronic system.
What will be checked before the medicine is prepared
The pharmacy will not be able to use the raw materials it receives straight away. First, the responsible member of staff must check:
the accompanying documents and delivery notes;
the manufacturer’s quality certificate;
the registration status of the raw materials;
that there is no ban on the distribution of the specific batch;
the report from an accredited laboratory confirming compliance with quality requirements.
Without confirmation of laboratory testing, the cannabis plant material cannot be used to manufacture the medicinal product.
Where will medical cannabis be stored?
The raw materials must be kept in their original packaging in specially equipped premises that meet the requirements for the storage of controlled substances.
Medicines may also only be manufactured in a designated area of the pharmacy. Staff with access to the raw materials must hold the appropriate authorisation.
The pharmacy manager must appoint a responsible person or a pharmacist-analyst. The simple packaging of the medicinal product will be carried out under the supervision of such a specialist, the pharmacy manager, their deputy or another authorised member of staff.
How quality will be controlled
The requirements depend on what exactly the pharmacy does with the raw materials.
If a medicinal product is merely repackaged without changing its form, chemical testing of each batch will not be mandatory during the first year following the order’s entry into force. However, periodic analysis must be carried out at least once a quarter, whilst other types of internal control remain mandatory.
If the raw materials are diluted with excipients, chemical analysis must also be carried out at least once a quarter. During the inspection, the manufactured medicinal product is placed in quarantine and is not dispensed until the results are received.
When a pharmacy changes the dosage form of a medicinal product – for example, by producing a different type of preparation – the entire batch must undergo a full inspection. It will also be kept in quarantine until the results are received.
Pharmacies are prohibited from mixing raw materials from different production batches. If the establishment does not have its own analytical equipment, samples must be sent to an accredited laboratory.
How long will the medicines be stored?
The standard shelf life of medicines manufactured in a pharmacy from the cannabis plant is 10 calendar days.
A pharmacy may set a longer shelf life – up to six months – if it has scientifically verified data on the stability of all the medicine’s components.
Such data may be provided by the raw material manufacturer or an accredited laboratory. A pharmacy may also carry out its own stability studies if it has the necessary equipment.
Consequently, a pharmacy cannot arbitrarily state a shelf life of up to six months on the packaging. This requires research results and confirmation that the medicinal product will remain of high quality and safe.
How medicines will be packaged and transported
The pharmacy must hermetically seal the finished medicinal product. Materials that come into direct contact with the medicines must comply with the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine.
Only companies holding a licence to transport narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors will be permitted to transport raw materials and manufactured medicines.
Once a pharmacy begins dispensing such medicines, it must notify the relevant regional office of the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines in writing within 10 calendar days.
What the new rules mean for patients
The order does not make medicines so readily available that they can be purchased without a doctor’s prescription. Its aim is to establish a uniform procedure for pharmacies and to ensure that individually compounded medicines undergo quality control.
For patients, this means that the composition and dosage will be determined by a doctor, the medicine will be manufactured by a licensed pharmacy, and all handling of raw materials and the finished product will be recorded in the state system.
The first medical cannabis-based medicines in Ukraine were dispensed to patients via electronic prescriptions on 11 June 2026. They were received by a patient with multiple sclerosis and two veterans suffering from chronic neuropathic and phantom pain following amputations.
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