The story
Ukraine sharply lowered the plant counts that could bring criminal cannabis-growing charges on 7 April 2009. Ten plants reached the ordinary criminal tier, replacing the rule requiring more than 100, while fifty plants reached an aggravated tier carrying three to seven years in prison.[1][2][3][4]
A recent easing was cut back
The 2008 reform had added a minimum of more than 100 plants to the ordinary criminal-growing offence. Before that, the 2001 code had stated the offence without a plant-count minimum.[3][4]
The 2009 amendment replaced that broad growing threshold with separate cannabis and opium-poppy bands. Parliament adopted it in March, and President Viktor Yushchenko signed it. The law said it would take effect on publication; the publication record identifies 7 April.[1][2]
For a cannabis grower, the change meant that a crop well below the previous 100-plant boundary could now lead to a criminal case. The amendment’s title described its purpose as strengthening responsibility for unlawful sowing or growing.[1][3]
Ten plants reached the ordinary criminal tier
The criminal rule began at ten cannabis plants and offered a fine of 100 to 500 non-taxable minimum incomes, up to six months’ arrest or up to three years of restriction of liberty. These were alternative punishments available to the court.[1]
The accompanying administrative rule applied to the smaller band, with a fine of eighteen to 100 non-taxable minimum incomes and confiscation of the plants. Read alongside the criminal rule beginning at ten, it left ordinary grows below ten plants in that administrative band.[1]
Opium poppy had different numbers: the ordinary criminal band began at 100 plants. The law therefore required the plant type as well as the crop count to be identified.[1]
Fifty cannabis plants could bring three to seven years
The aggravated plant-count threshold fell from 500 cannabis plants to fifty. Its prison range remained three to seven years under the code. Specified previous drug crimes and group growing for sale remained separate grounds for the aggravated charge.[1][4]
The smaller administrative band continued to carry a penalty and confiscation. The new thresholds governed the difference between that band, the ordinary criminal offence and the aggravated offence.[1]
Later, the 2024 probation reform replaced arrest in the ordinary cultivation sentencing list with probation supervision. The Ukraine profile follows the later penalties as well as the plant boundaries introduced in 2009.[5]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Ukraine here.
References
- Ukraine — Law 1165-VI of 19 March 2009, Rada open-data reproduction2009 · Part I(1), administrative article 106-2; Part I(2), criminal article 310(1)–(2); Part II, commencement on publication.
- Rada open-data reproduction — Law 1165-VI publication and commencement recordCommenced 7 April 2009; Holos Ukrainy and Uriadovyi Kurier no. 62, both 7 April 2009; full amendment text.
- Ukraine — Law 270-VI, original 15 April 2008 edition, reproduced from the Rada portal2008 · Part I(1)(65)–(66), articles 309–310; final provisions 1–7 (commencement, release, case closures, reduced sentences).
- Ukraine Criminal Code, original 5 April 2001 edition, reproduced from the Rada portal2001 · Articles 309–310; final/transitional provisions, Section I(1)–(2), commencement on 1 September 2001 and repeal of old code.
- Ukraine — Law 3342-IX of 23 August 2023, Rada open-data reproduction2023 · Part I(1)(3), new article 59-1; (89)–(90), articles 309–310; final provisions, six-month commencement and replacement of unserved arrest sentences.
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.