Russian drivers may soon face stiff penalties, including fines up to 45,000 rubles and the loss of their driving license for up to two years, if found driving under the influence of certain medications. The State Duma has approved a bill in its first reading that introduces liability for drivers operating vehicles while impaired by medication.

The proposed law aims to expand the current definition of intoxication under the Code of Administrative Offenses, which currently includes alcohol, narcotic, and psychotropic substances. The new legislation targets substances found in medicinal products that can impair a person’s attention and reaction time, when combined with clinical signs of intoxication.

The list of medications potentially incompatible with driving may include sedatives, hypnotics, antiepileptic drugs, anesthetics, and drugs prescribed for Parkinson’s disease. Driving after taking prohibited drugs will be treated similarly to driving under alcohol or narcotic intoxication.

A lawyer noted that a driver’s liability will arise from both the presence of a prohibited substance in their system and the manifestation of clinical signs of intoxication, suggesting a change in the current medical examination procedure.

However, uncertainties remain regarding how traffic police inspectors will identify drivers suspected of taking prohibited drugs. Additionally, a definitive list of prohibited medications and guidelines for their labeling in pharmacies has yet to be established.