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15th Mar 2022

Ukrainian refugee hilariously asks if weed is legal in UK during live Sky News report

Charlie Herbert

Ukrainian refugee asks if weed is legal in UK

‘I smoke weed. Legalise. Four twenty’

As millions of Ukrainians flee their country amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some have got different priorities in mind than others.

As Sky News‘ Alex Crawford reported from near the capital, Kyiv, heavy artillery started in the background with people boarding busses to ferry them to safety.

When Crawford boarded one of these busses to get a first-hand account from someone leaving Kyiv, what followed was a bizarre conversation, with the man she spoke to more preoccupied by other things.

She asked the man whether he was alright and he replied with a “yes”. However before the reporter had chance to ask another question, the man said: “I smoke weed. Legalise. Four twenty.”

He then tried to establish the nationality of the Sky News reporter. When she replied that she was British, the interviewee became the interviewer, as he asked: “Is cannabis legalised in Great Britain?”

After a brief moment of confusion, Crawford realises what the man is asking and jokily replies: “I’m glad that’s all you’re thinking about.”

A rare example of some humour and comedy amid the bleakness of the situation, which shows little sign of improving for the Ukrainian population.

On Tuesday, the International Organisation for Migration said that an estimated three million people have fled Ukraine.

Also on Tuesday, UNICEF announced that on average 73,000 Ukrainian children have become refugees each day over the last 20 days. This is the equivalent of 55 children every minute or almost one per second.

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