Since the eCannabis program began in Ukraine in March, dozens of hemp companies have been registered.
According to UNNIn total, there are 38 registered hemp business, of which 16 have already seeded 1,251 ha of hemp. Businesses that cultivate and process industrial hemp are able to work digitally through the eCannabis system.
The reintroduction and ramping up of industrial hemp production is a ray of sunshine in a country that has been ravaged by Russia’s invasion – and a testament to the tenacity of the Ukrainian people.
While hemp had been cultivated in Ukraine for centuries, like many other countries it became illegal in the 20th century after the United Nations adopted the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs – even though industrial hemp by definition is very low in the intoxicating cannabinoid THC.
Ukraine has also recently announced the opening of its largest industrial hemp processor in Zhytomyr. In an old flax mill that was abandoned, this facility has a production capacity of 14 000 tons per year. It will be used to produce hemp fibre for the European textile and domestic markets.
The initial limit on THC for industrial hemp allowed in Ukraine was 0.08%. It severely hampered the variety of products available and put Ukrainians at a competitive disadvantage with farmers from countries that have much higher limits. New legislation has raised the limit in Ukraine to 0.2% as of August 2024. It may also be increased to 0.3% again by 2027.
Find out more about how the plant is grown in this country. Ukrainian Hemp It is a wonderful resource.
Although the Ukrainian hemp industry is limited to food, seeds and fiber production, there has been a steady increase in medical cannabis use.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine since his election to office in 2000, has always been an advocate for medical marijuana. In February 2024, the country’s unicameral Parliament passed a bill that was signed into law by President Zelensky in August of last year. The first list of qualifying conditions for Ukraine’s medical cannabis program was released in September 2024, and then in January this year it was announced cannabis medicines should soon appear in Ukrainian pharmacies.