Ukrainian doctor supports legalization of medical cannabis to relieve patient suffering
Dr. Victoria Yevseyeva, an anesthesiologist at the Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center, and an assistant at the Surgery Department with a course in Anesthesiology at the Medical Faculty of Taras Shevchenko National University, is a supporter of the legalization of medical cannabis to alleviate the suffering of patients grappling with various medical conditions.
Dr. Yevseyeva highlights the urgency for this change, emphasizing the multitude of medical benefits associated with cannabis.
Medical cannabis has proven efficacy in treating over 20 medical conditions, spanning chronic neuropathic pain, epilepsy, hormonal disorders in adolescents, phantom pains in military amputees, and post-traumatic psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Yevseyeva particularly underscores the palliative effects of cannabinoids on oncology patients, providing pain relief, improving sleep, and even inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.
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“According to global randomized studies, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) has the ability to inhibit the growth and proliferation of cancer cells by modulating cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) and initiating the process of apoptosis (cell suicide),” said Dr. Yevseyeva.
However, due to the current illegal status of cannabis in Ukraine, doctors are unable to prescribe these medications. Dr. Yevseyeva suggests seeking treatment abroad as an alternative until legalization takes effect.
Summing up her argument, Dr. Yevseyeva said, “There is no other answer today to the question of whether medical cannabis should be legalized in Ukraine than a resounding ‘yes’.”
“Patients have a constitutional right not to endure pain,” she added.
“Unfortunately, Ukrainian doctors, especially pain management specialists, have very limited capabilities to provide quality analgesic assistance to those who need it.”
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In Ukraine, opioids remain the primary medications for chronic pain, but they come with a host of undesirable side effects and the risk of opioid tolerance, where the drugs cease to provide effective pain relief.
However, “the legalization of medical cannabis does not imply its decriminalization,” stressed Dr. Yevseyeva.
“Like opioids, cannabis must have medical and pharmaceutical accountability. It cannot be purchased in a supermarket like chewing gum, for example. Only by medical prescription and strictly with an electronic prescription,” Dr. Yevseyeva said.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
