The Orthodox Church of Ukraine opposes the legalization of cannabis for recreational use but sees no issue with medical purposes.
This was stated by the spokesman of the OCU, Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya), in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
In his opinion, the use of cannabis for recreational purposes cannot be accepted by the Church.
"First recreational cannabis, then drug legalization, and then what? It's a drug. Therefore, the attitude (of the Church-ed.) is quite similar as to other narcotic substances," said the OCU representative.
He believes that there can be no recreation (active leisure) while using narcotic substances.
"I understand that there are people who use cocaine, amphetamines, and other narcotic drugs and enjoy it. But science has long proven that these are things that are deeply harmful to health and destroy a person both physically and mentally. So what kind of recreation can it be?" said the hierarch.
In turn, as for medical cannabis, the hierarch sees no obstacle for it since even heavy drugs are used in medicine.
"Do we use opiates for medical purposes? So what is the sense of the question of using cannabis-based drugs for medical purposes, if it will be under the conditions similar to those for opiates use," Archbishop Yevstratiy stressed.
According to him, the Church is not against the use of medical cannabis for those who have undergone chemotherapy, are on palliative care or are terminally ill and in pain.
Earlier, in April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to legalize medical cannabis.
According to the Rating survey, 70% of Ukrainians approve of the legalization of medical cannabis to reduce pain in severe patients.