Russia has some of the strictest laws regarding cannabis, both medicinal and recreational. Both are prohibited. The use of raw cannabis for medical purposes is not permitted.
Cannabis in Russia
Furthermore, cannabis is included on List I of the narcotic and psychoactive substance list in Russia. Drugs on List 1 are under the strictest governmental control. Per capita, Russia has the most people incarcerated for drug offenses in Europe.
Currently, there is no way that patients in Russia can access medicinal cannabis. Non-authorized manufacturing, sale, or delivery of cannabis flower, plants, or other substances are all punishable under Article 228.1 of the Russian Criminal Code.
Several factors, such as the amount of cannabis, determine the punishment. Anyone convicted of this crime could be sentenced to eight to twenty years of imprisonment. Depending on the scale of the crime, life sentences are not out of the question as well.
Weed in Russia Must be Reprocessed
The only way cannabis can be utilized is if it is reprocessing into principally different substances; i.e., for medical or veterinary purposes. However, this is not available to private companies. Only governmental enterprises, which meet certain requirements, have the right to do so.
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
According to the Regulation of the Russian Government, the use of cannabis for industrial purposes is permitted under specific circumstances. The type of cannabis must be included in the State Register of Plant Variety, though. Additionally, the amount of THC must not exceed 0.1%. Lastly, many cannabis seeds are banned from being used for seeding.
Russian laws do not address CBD, making its legal status unclear. However, it’s not recommended to possess, sell, or buy any CBD products in the country, since it’s assumed to fall under the same category as cannabis and THC.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia Hates Weed
Don’t Toke up in Russia
Photo by Don Fontijn on Unsplash
Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been against cannabis, and he’s very open about it. He criticized Canada for legalizing weed with claims from his government that Canada had “deliberately decided to breach” international law.
He even tried to ban rap songs that referenced drug use and blocked Wikipedia when a page describing how to make hashish wasn’t removed.
Needless to say, Russia won’t be joining the pro-cannabis movement anytime soon.
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