President signed into law harsher penalties for drug-related crimes

On 29 January 2015 the President of the Republic of Belarus signed the Law of the Republic of Belarus No 245-Z which amended the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus of 9 July1999. The amendments provide for harsher penalties for illegal production, storage, transportation, sale and, in some instances, use of drugs, psychotropic substances, or precursors and analogs thereof.

The Law No 245-Z was officially published on the National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus on 3 February 2015 and entered into force after its official publication.