The State Duma approved sanctions for driving under the influence of drugs

In the first reading, the State Duma adopted a bill according to which administrative responsibility for driving under the influence of alcohol will occur if substances in the driver's body that are part of drugs that impair attention and reaction are detected. This is reported on the website of the lower house of parliament.

The text of the draft law states that administrative liability will occur "in the event that, according to the results of a medical examination, there is a state of intoxication in the body...> substances (groups of substances) found to be part of medicines that impair attention and reaction, but not related to ethyl alcohol, narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues, or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, intoxicating substances, and a set of clinical signs of intoxication resulting from the use of intoxicating substances has been established."

According to Oleg Salagai, Deputy Minister of Health of Russia, the Ministry of Health, together with the expert community, is developing a list of substances that are included in medicines that can impair attention and affect driving, TASS reports. It is expected that it will include, in particular, antiepileptic drugs and anesthetic drugs, he said at a plenary session of the State Duma. There is a material and technical base for conducting tests for the presence of various substances in the human body in the Russian Federation, he pointed out.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation declared a note to Article 12.8 of the Administrative Code (drunk driving or transfer of control to an intoxicated person) inconsistent with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. He pointed out a gap that prevents bringing to administrative responsibility for drunk driving in the case when the above substances were found in the driver's body, which can impair his attention and reaction.

Chemistry and Life: the Russian was deprived of the rights because of the taken pill

The State Duma intends to introduce labeling of drugs that are unacceptable for motorists.

On May 5, the State Duma proposed prescribing warnings for drivers about the inadmissibility of driving cars after taking such drugs in the instructions for the use of medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances.

The developers of that bill pointed out that the majority of Russians, taking medications prescribed by a doctor or without a prescription, may not know that some drugs contain substances whose use is incompatible with driving a vehicle. In the case of an examination, this will entail the responsibility of the driver under art. 12.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation.