In Russia, the rules for conducting medical examinations will change from September 1.

Starting from September 1, 2025, the rules of medical examination for intoxication will change in Russia. The corresponding draft of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation was published on March 27 on the portal of regulatory legal acts.

"To approve the procedure for conducting a medical examination for intoxication (alcohol, narcotic or other toxic), including the definition of clinical signs of intoxication and the rules of chemical and toxicological studies, as well as criteria, in the presence of which there are sufficient grounds to believe that a person is intoxicated and is subject to referral for a medical examination," the document says..

According to the draft, a medical examination will include an examination by a doctor, an examination of exhaled air for alcohol, the determination of psychoactive substances, including narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, their metabolites in urine, and a quantitative immunochemical assessment.

The Ministry of Health clarified the specifics of conducting an examination when providing emergency medical care. Thus, urine and blood samples are collected for victims of road accidents, as well as for persons with signs of poisoning with narcotic drugs, poisonous or psychotropic substances.

In addition, according to the document, the medical report "refused medical examination" is now issued when refusing to be examined by a specialist doctor or any laboratory examination, as well as falsification of exhalation or a sample of biological material.

Newspaper.Ru added that the rules for obtaining informed voluntary consent will also be clarified.

According to the document, the changes will take effect on September 1, 2025 and will be valid until September 1, 2031.

On February 16, it became known that the Ministry of Health had developed a draft that introduced some changes to the procedure for conducting medical examinations for alcohol or other prohibited toxic substances in the body. It was clarified that the document would provide an updated list of groups of narcotic substances for which an examination could be carried out.