Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee

Article 328. Illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors and analogues

1. Illegal manufacturing, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation, or mailing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their precursors or analogues without the purpose of sale -
is punishable by restriction of liberty for up to five years or by imprisonment for a term of two to five years.

2. Illegal manufacturing, processing, acquisition, storage, transportation, or mailing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their precursors or analogues with the purpose of sale, or illegal sale thereof - is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to eight years with or without a fine.

3. Actions provided for in part 2 of this Article, committed by a group of persons, or by an official using their official powers, or by a person who has previously committed crimes provided for by this Article, Articles 327, 329, or 331 of this Code, or in relation to narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues in a large quantity, or in relation to particularly dangerous narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or the sale of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogues on the territory of an educational institution, healthcare organization, military unit, correctional institution, detention center, places of detention, therapeutic and labor prophylaxis facility, at the site of a mass event, or to a person known to be a minor - is punishable by imprisonment for a term of six to fifteen years with or without a fine.

4. Actions provided for in parts 2 or 3 of this Article, committed by an organized group or associated with the manufacturing or processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their precursors or analogues using laboratory glassware or laboratory equipment intended for chemical synthesis - is punishable by imprisonment for a term of ten to twenty years with or without a fine.

5. Actions provided for in parts 2 - 4 of this Article, which negligently resulted in the death of a person due to their consumption of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues - is punishable by imprisonment for a term of twelve to twenty-five years with or without a fine.

Note. A person who voluntarily surrenders narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their precursors or analogues, and actively contributes to the detection or suppression of a crime related to the illegal trafficking of these substances, the exposure of persons who committed them, or the discovery of criminally obtained property, shall be exempted from criminal liability for this crime.

Article 328-1. Illegal movement of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their precursors or analogues across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union or the State Border of the Republic of Belarus

1. Illegal movement of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their precursors or analogues across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union or the State Border of the Republic of Belarus shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to seven years with or without a fine.

2. An act provided for in part 1 of this article, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, or repeatedly, or by a person who has previously committed crimes provided for in articles 228 and 333-1 of this Code, or by an official using their official powers, or with the use of violence against a person conducting customs or border control, or in relation to particularly dangerous narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or in relation to narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues in a large quantity, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with or without a fine.

3. An act provided for in parts 1 or 2 of this article, committed by an organized group, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of seven to twelve years with or without a fine.

Article 328-2. Consumption of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues in a public place, or appearance in a public place or presence at work in a state caused by the consumption of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, toxic or other intoxicating substances

Consumption of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without a doctor's prescription in a public place, or consumption of their analogues in a public place, as well as appearing in a public place in a state caused by consumption without a doctor's prescription of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances or consumption of their analogues, toxic or other intoxicating substances, which offends human dignity and public morality, or being at work during working hours in a state caused by consumption without a doctor's prescription of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances or consumption of their analogues, toxic or other intoxicating substances, committed within a year after the imposition of an administrative penalty for the same offenses, shall be punishable by a fine, or arrest, or restriction of liberty for up to two years.

ATTENTION!!!

The effect of smoking mixtures on the human body is 5-10 times stronger than that of plant-based preparations containing narcotic substances. Almost immediately after their use, powerful hallucinations occur. Reactions to "spice" can be varied – psychosis, euphoria, laughter or fear, complete loss of control over actions. In addition, even periodic smoking of mixtures causes irreversible processes in the human central nervous system, from slowing down of thought processes to depressive states.

REMEMBER!

• Drug addiction is a deadly disease.
• The life of a drug addict is very short.
• Drug addicts often get infected with dangerous and incurable diseases from each other: AIDS, hepatitis, etc.
• Drugs strongly affect the brain and make a person mentally deficient.
• A drug addict takes away from the family not only money, but also all valuable things to buy drugs, without which they cannot live.

Drugs are substances that can cause a state of joyful intoxication, addiction and dependence.

WHAT EFFECT DOES A DRUG HAVE ON A PERSON?

A person in a state of drug intoxication ceases to experience mental and physical pain, a feeling of lightness and comfort appears. The feeling of lightness leads to loss of self-control and loss of touch with reality. The state of drug intoxication lasts only as long as the narcotic substance is present in the blood.

HOW DOES DRUG ADDICTION DEVELOP IN PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS?

A person who constantly uses drugs gradually becomes less sensitive to them. After some time, ordinary doses are no longer enough to achieve euphoria. The victim of drug addiction is forced to increase the dose. Subsequently, even this is not enough, and then there is a transition to a stronger narcotic substance. Thus, gradually, a person becomes addicted to strong drugs, from which there is almost no escape.

WHAT HARM DO DRUGS CAUSE?

All drugs, by their nature, are poisons that affect all organ systems and tissues, but especially the central nervous system, brain, reproductive system, liver, and kidneys. As a rule, even people with the strongest health do not live more than ten years with regular drug use. Most die earlier. Cases where people die within the first year of starting to use narcotic substances are very common. Since drug addicts use non-sterile syringes, many blood-borne diseases are common among them – AIDS, hepatitis, and others. They often die from these diseases before their bodies are poisoned by the drug.

HOW DOES DRUG ADDICTION AFFECT A PERSON'S MENTAL STATE?

Emotional emptiness grows, irritability, apathy, and loss of willpower arise, and with the use of certain drugs, dementia appears. Externally, all this manifests as lethargy, callousness, rudeness, selfishness, and deceitfulness. A person using drugs loses control over their life, is profoundly transformed, and becomes completely different. Intelligence gradually declines.

WHAT DO PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DRUG ADDICTION DIE FROM?

In most cases, from overdose. Within a few years, the drug addict faces complete destruction of the liver and the entire body. But many do not live to this point and die from allergies, infectious and co-occurring diseases, such as AIDS or hepatitis. Many end their lives by suicide or die violent deaths, as drug addicts are often involved with organized crime. A drug addict loses their self-preservation instinct and can easily freeze to death, become a victim of a crime, get into an accident, die from an unfortunate incident, and many other causes.

REMEMBER THE HARM DRUGS CAUSE TO PEOPLE! BE ATTENTIVE AND CAUTIOUS!

Drug addicts rarely live past the age of 30. Usually, people who are experiencing a decline in physical and mental strength to fight for their place in life become drug addicts.

All researchers (whether doctors, sociologists, teachers, etc.) agree that drug addiction is most dangerous in adolescence, when a person's worldview is still forming.

One American narcologist, R. Christophersen, writes: "I have never met a chronic drug addict over the age of 30. The fact is that a person starts using drugs at eighteen and by twenty becomes a 'chronic,' meaning they need daily consumption of their dope; their chances of living to thirty are practically nil, even if they were in athletic health before their harmful addiction began."

Drug addiction is a very terrible disease, as it manifests as a pathological dependence on any narcotic substances – be it medicines, marijuana, or more potent drugs.

A drug addict, in search of money for the next dose, can resort to anything – theft, deceit, and in some cases, murder. As soon as they take the drug, they feel a little better. For such brief relief, the drug addict, often even consciously, deprives themselves of all other joys of life.

By taking drugs, a drug addict simply signs their own death warrant. However, narcotic substances are very expensive. And those who are involved in their distribution make colossal money from it. Such money cannot be earned through honest labor, but drug dealers always need buyers for their product, who will be willing to pay any amount for a dose of the substance they so desperately need. In doing so, they resort to various sophisticated methods to get a person to try drugs for the first time.

Often, the first dose is sold for a negligible amount or even given away for free. Drug dealers may deliberately send their agent into a group of teenagers or schoolchildren to "hook" them. They are determined to do anything to get at least one acquaintance to start taking or at least try this poison once. Even the first dose of a drug can be fatal.

Drugs kill the strongest, smartest, and most determined people. Almost no one can cope with them. Drugs are a disaster for health.

Children and adolescents are increasingly dying from drug overdoses. The prevalence of drug addicts among children and adolescents is a tragedy for a great many parents.

It happens that due to addiction, a drug ceases to provide euphoria to the addict and simply becomes necessary for survival in principle. Then, this narcotic substance becomes merely a means to eliminate aggressiveness, malice, anguish, and apathy.

Under the constant influence of narcotic substances, a person becomes increasingly withdrawn, rude, losing family, friendly, and other social ties, losing almost all cultural and moral values. All this becomes possible due to pronounced disorders in the central nervous system and the brain.

It is the brain that is the main target of narcotic substances. The link between the normal functioning of the brain and lifespan has long been established by many scientists. It has also been found that all disorders in the functioning of the central nervous system lead to disruptions in the vital activity of numerous organs and systems. The earlier the body is exposed to narcotic substances, the more fatal the effect will be.