At the end of April 2012, the President of the Russian Federation instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to think over measures to counter the spread of drugs via the Internet. And now, in July, the deputies of the State Duma joined the solution of this issue.
Irina Yarovaya, a deputy from Fair Russia, proposed making appropriate amendments to the Criminal Code and making it tougher for those who distribute narcotic drugs via the Internet. Also, a new punishment was imposed for the promotion of drugs on the network, which will be provided for by a new article in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
The deputy proposed to introduce punishment for propaganda, advertising of drugs and psychotropic drugs, plants containing narcotic substances, carried out through information and telecommunication networks (Internet). These actions after the adoption of the amendments will be punishable by a fine of up to 50,000 rubles.
The fine can be replaced by an amount equal to the six-month salary of the convicted person under the new article. An alternative to monetary penalties can be compulsory labor for a period of 180 to 240 hours or correctional labor for a long period of up to 2 years. The amendments also provide for the restriction or imprisonment of a convict for promoting drugs on the network for up to 2 years.
Introducing a punishment for such a sin, the deputies specifically stipulate that cases of dissemination of information about narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors permitted for medical use are not subject to the law. Thus, the new article does not apply to the information that is available in specialized publications intended for a narrow circle of specialists, pharmacists and physicians.
It is supposed to toughen the punishment for legal entities engaged in advertising and promotion of narcotic drugs on the Internet. Penalties for them are provided in the amount of 800,000 to 1 million rubles with the simultaneous confiscation of advertising products and equipment with which it was distributed. Alternative punishment - administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days will also not save the enterprise from confiscation.
A foreign citizen or stateless person will be subject to a fine of 4,000 to 5,000 rubles or administrative arrest. And in fact, and in another case, the punishment will end with expulsion from the territory of the Russian Federation.
