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The law on the legalization of medical cannabis came into force on August 16. Ukrainians reacted differently to this decision.
Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) surveyed 1,067 Ukrainians about their attitude to legalization. The results are impressive.
The survey showed that 43% of respondents have a positive attitude to the legalization of medical cannabis. Almost three times less Ukrainians (16%) have a negative attitude. At the same time, 41% have either a neutral or uncertain attitude to the legalization of medical cannabis.
At the same time when sociologists “specified” that it is a light drug – marijuana, approval ratings have changed slightly. In this formulation of the question, 45% responded positively to legalization. The share of opponents, as well as those with a neutral or undecided attitude, also increased. 23% were negative, and another 32% were neutral or uncertain.
Euro-Atlantic integration, which is definitely supported by the majority of the population of Ukraine, concerns not only socio-economic or security issues, but also the worldview dimension, in particular, difficult, debatable issues. This also applies to the legalization of cannabis. The growth of a positive attitude towards the legalization of medical cannabis can be considered as one of the indicators of the modernization of the values of Ukrainians and their approach to European or Western ones, as well as a greater crystallization of Ukraine as part of the European and Western world in general, – noted the executive director of the Ukrainian Institute of Medical Sciences, Anton Grushetskyi.
Survey/KMIS
Sociologists also asked Ukrainians questions with an emphasis on the fact that this will ease the pain of many patients (in particular, cancer patients and wounded military personnel). In this context, 57% of Ukrainians already approved legalization. At the same time, 14% continued to have a negative attitude, and another 28% were neutral or undecided.
Legalization was supported the most, regardless of the wording of the question, in the central part of Ukraine (53%), the south (43%) the least. At the same time, the share of opponents is the highest in the east of Ukraine (24%), and the lowest in the west (14%).
Now we are observing fundamental changes in the minds of citizens, who are already favorably disposed to legalization. However, caution should be exercised. There remains a fairly large proportion of those who have a neutral or undecided attitude. In addition, the law has only just entered into force, and it is important what exactly the implementation will look like. You can expect narratives about “corruption in this area”, about “the transformation of Ukraine into a drug laboratory”, about “the growth of drug addicts”, etc. That is, opponents of legalization retain the opportunity to influence public opinion, and this should be taken into account so that there is no retreat from the current (rather positive) state, – noted Hrushetskyi.
Respondents from the age group of 60-69 expressed more often than others support for legalization (57%). The least opponents were among Ukrainians aged 18-29 (7%), and the most – in the age category 40-49 (21%).