EPISODE #162 Cannabis Stands With Ukraine, with Maksym Kharkavyi and Nazari Sovsun and Bogdan Yetsenko from Freedom March - Show Notes

We’re joined by Maksym, Nazarii, and Bohdan from Freedom March, who are the organisers of the Cannabis Stands with Ukraine fundraising campaign - aiming to unite the world’s cannabis community to support Ukrainians.

We explore the current state of cannabis access in Ukraine, and what the campaign is doing in order to provide critical humanitarian assistance to the people in need.

Donate now at https://cannabiswithukraine.org/

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About Freedom March

?Freedom March, Ukrainian cannabis law reform civil movement, advocates legal access to medical cannabis, its decriminalization and the public monitoring of law enforcement since 2005.

The movement also defends in court those accused of possession of marijuana based products for personal use. Freedom March cooperates with such organizations as Veterans for Medical Cannabis, Athena. Women against Cancer, People with Epi, as well as individual scientists, medics, artists, and nightclubs around the world. The legal entity of Freedom March is NGO М?СТ.

Episode Summary

• Maksym, Nazarii, and Bohdan are currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine and represent the Cannabis Freedom March - the biggest cannabis movement in Ukraine aiming to change drug policy.
• Freedom March was launched in 2005, and has been advocating for progressive drug policy and the use of medical cannabis ever since.
• The movement focuses on providing help to the nation’s people most affected by the war, including those who need mental health treatment for PTSD.
• There are many groups of people affected by PTSD in Ukraine due to the ongoing wars, who include soldiers, civilians, cancer patients and other vulnerable groups.
• Many orphaned children of soldiers and civilians also need medical care, psychological care, and financial support.?
• The group have been protesting and campaigning through the media to push for more relaxed laws around cannabis use in the country.
• Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Cannabis Freedom March members joined the Territorial Defense Forces and Ukrainian Army, contributing their expertise to strategy, administration, and logistics.
• Maksym has never seen such unity and consolidation amongst Ukrainians, as there is currently.?
• Medical Cannabis use in Ukraine is currently forbidden, as is CBD use, although its possession is decriminalised (up to 5 grams).
• In 2020, the president of Ukraine undertook a nationwide poll which showed that the majority of participants were in favour of medical cannabis use, indicating that public opinion is changing.
• Freedom March is hopeful that the introduction of cannabis businesses into Ukraine could contribute to the recovery of the economy post-war.
• Freedom March is currently working with The Kyiv School of Economics to raise funds through a campaign titled Cannabis Stands with Ukraine, which seeks donations from the worldwide cannabis community to aid vulnerable populations during the ongoing war.

• Please consider donating to the campaign through The Kyiv School of Economics here.

• Donations will be used to provide food supplies, and transportation for Ukrainian citizens affected by the war, and to purchase necessary medicines, first aid and protective kits for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Ukrainian Paramedic Association, and the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces to shield them against Russian aggression.

Resources

Cannabis Stands With Ukraine Article in High Times: https://hightimes.com/news/ukrainian-cannabis-community-standing-strong-against-russian-invasion/

?The Kyiv School of Economics Fund: https://kse.ua/

Cannabis Stands With Ukraine Campaign Website: https://cannabiswithukraine.org/

Cannabis Stands With Ukraine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cannabiswithukraine/

About Me

I'm?Anuj Desai - a commercial advisor, lawyer and founder of Canverse - a strategic consultancy helping founders, entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the emerging cannabis industry.

Please follow?The Cannabis Conversation to keep up to date with news and insights from the industry, and get in touch at [email protected] to discuss how I can help your business move forward in the cannabis sector!

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