On Tuesday, the State Duma passed in the first reading a government-sponsored bill introducing administrative liability for drivers who operate vehicles under the influence of certain medications.
Bill No. 379447-8 proposes amendments to Articles 12.8 and 12.27 (Part 3) of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (KoAP), expanding the scope of punishable intoxication. Under the draft, drivers would be held administratively liable not only for alcohol or drug intoxication, but also in cases where medical examinations detect the presence of substances (or groups of substances) from medications that impair attention and reaction, even if these substances are not classified as alcohol, narcotics, psychotropics, their analogues, or other new potentially hazardous psychoactive substances. Liability would apply if a combination of clinical signs of intoxication is observed due to such substances.
These amendments aim to make “medication intoxication” punishable under administrative law.
Currently, the absence of a rule in the KoAP allowing for penalties against drivers impaired by certain medications complicates efforts to ensure road safety, according to the explanatory note.
A list of relevant medications will be defined by a government decree. It may include anesthetics, anti-epileptic drugs, sleeping pills, sedatives, and others.
The procedure for medical examination to determine intoxication will be amended with a new section that establishes rules for detecting impairment caused by medications that reduce a driver’s ability to react.
Source: Interfax, May 16, 2025
