Belarus Proposes Strict New Laws Against Drug Propaganda

Belarus is moving to criminalize the propaganda of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their analogues with new administrative penalties. A draft law, titled “On Amendments to Laws on Issues of Propaganda of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, and Their Analogues,” has recently appeared in the draft legislation database of the National Legal Internet Portal, signaling a significant tightening of the country’s anti-drug legislation.

The proposed amendment would supplement the Code of Administrative Offenses with Article 17.7, specifically targeting drug propaganda with a range of penalties. According to the draft, violations could result in fines of up to 20 base units, community service, or administrative arrest. In each case, authorities would have the option to confiscate materials used in the offense.

The legislation aims to comprehensively define what constitutes “drug propaganda” in Belarus, casting a wide net over various forms of drug-related information. The proposal would amend the existing Law “On Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Their Precursors and Analogues,” with Article 24 receiving a complete revision to expand restrictions on information that could potentially promote illicit drug activities.

Under the proposed definitions, propaganda would include sharing information through any medium—including mass media and the internet—about methods of drug manufacture, production, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation, sale, or use. The ban would extend to information about cultivation methods for plants containing narcotic substances and their growth locations.

The draft law takes particular aim at content suggesting drug consumption is permissible, attractive, or necessary. It would prohibit sharing names of narcotic substances, even when using coded language or slang terms, as well as details about their chemical structures.

Other prohibited content would include promoting advantages of illicit drug use, information about generating income through drug trafficking, advice on avoiding criminal liability for drug offenses, and images or descriptions of narcotic substances or plants containing them.

However, the draft includes important exemptions to protect legitimate information sharing. Scientific works, literature, and art would generally be excluded from the propaganda definition. The law would also permit information sharing in medical and pharmaceutical contexts, including publications, exhibitions, conferences, and product documentation intended for healthcare professionals.

Educational materials, anti-drug campaign information, and communications from state bodies would also be exempt from the propaganda definition, allowing for continued public health education and prevention efforts.

Belarus’s move follows similar approaches in other former Soviet states that have implemented tough anti-drug propaganda laws. These measures reflect growing concern about modern methods of drug promotion and distribution, particularly through online channels and social media where information can spread rapidly among young people.

Critics of such legislation often raise concerns about potential overreach and the risk of limiting legitimate discussion about drug policy, harm reduction, or medical research. However, supporters argue that comprehensive restrictions are necessary to combat sophisticated drug marketing and distribution networks that exploit digital communication channels.

The draft law must now proceed through Belarus’s legislative process, requiring adoption by the House of Representatives and approval by the Council of the Republic before taking effect. If passed, it would come into force following official publication.

This legislative initiative represents part of Belarus’s broader effort to combat illicit drug trafficking and consumption through increased administrative penalties and tighter information controls.