The Supreme Court has submitted to the State Duma a bill that would ease punishment under Criminal Code Article 228, often referred to as the “people’s” drug article. It concerns the acquisition, storage, transportation, and manufacture of drugs without intent to sell. The parliament’s website reported this.
For cases involving a large quantity, the proposal would reduce the maximum prison term from 10 years to 5 years. For cases involving an especially large quantity, it would lower the maximum term from 15 years to 10 years.
The bill also proposes allowing first-time convicts under this article who are recognized as suffering from drug addiction to receive a deferral of their sentence, provided that they undergo treatment and rehabilitation.
As the report notes, the Supreme Court drafted the bill in May 2025. Only a year later did the newspaper Kommersant report that the government was prepared to support the initiative on the condition that it remove the provision calling for reduced sentences for those accused of drug trafficking involving large and especially large quantities.
A source close to the Interior Ministry, speaking to Novaya-Evropa, said that many law enforcement officials dealing with drug crimes view the idea of lowering sentences negatively, especially in trafficking cases involving large and especially large quantities. According to the source, if the bill is adopted in line with the government’s demands, it will have little effect on the number of prisoners.