Russia may ban driving after taking certain medications.

Russians may be banned from driving after taking sleeping pills, sedatives and anesthetics. The relevant bill was approved by the State Duma in the first reading. Anastasia Yakovleva, a lawyer at the Moscow Bar Association Counselor Center, told on June 7 what consequences drivers can expect for taking illegal medicines and how inspectors will identify them.

Currently, Article 12.8 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation ("Driving a vehicle by a driver who is intoxicated, transferring control of a vehicle to a person who is intoxicated") prescribes three types of intoxication: alcoholic, narcotic and psychotropic. They want to supplement this article with the concept of drug intoxication.

According to the expert, sedatives, hypnotics and antiepileptic drugs, anesthetics, as well as medications prescribed for Parkinson's disease may be included in the list of drugs that will be prohibited from driving.

If substances that are part of medicines that impair human attention and reaction are found in the driver's body during a medical examination, the motorist, as Yakovleva noted, will be punished: for violating this article, a fine of up to 45 thousand rubles will be provided, as well as deprivation of rights for up to two years.

"The driver's responsibility will occur if there is a substance from the registry and a combination of clinical signs of intoxication in the body at the same time, which implies a change in the current medical examination procedure," the lawyer said in an interview with the Prime agency.

However, as the expert clarified, while this bill is being discussed, it does not clarify many points.

For example, there is currently no clear list of the prohibited drugs themselves and no list of guidelines according to which such drugs should be labeled for sale in pharmacies, Yakovleva summed up.

On June 29, Lev Voropaev, an auto lawyer, urged people to refrain from driving after taking corvalol and valocordin. He clarified that by government decree No. 681, drivers are prohibited from taking these medications, otherwise they face deprivation of their rights for a period of one and a half years and a fine of 45 thousand rubles.