Plants in Russia: Plants Legal Status Guide
- 1. Plants laws in russia
- 1. a. Possession
- 1. b. Sale
- 1. c. Growing
- 2. Is extract legal in russia?
- 3. Is it legal to send plants seeds to russia?
- 4. Medicinal plants in russia
- 5. Industrial hemp in russia
- 6. History and politics
- 7. Good to know
1. Plants laws in Russia
Home to over 144 million people, The Russian Federation is Europe’s largest country by both land mass and population. But is there access to legal plants in Russia? Notorious for its harsh regimes of the past, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that plants is, in fact, illegal in Russia. Indeed, the country is known for having the highest number of people currently imprisoned (per capita) for drug offenses in Europe.
Indeed, as you might expect, the Russian government is known for taking a particularly hard line with both the possession and use of plants. In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at Russia's plants laws but before we get deep into the details, let’s start with the basics.
Possession
In accordance with the country’s Criminal Code, the possession of plants is punishable with a fine and/or a prison sentence. However, a change to the law in 2012 allowed for the potential for penalties to be deferred if the offender is found to suffer from addiction issues. Those found to be in possession of small quantities of up to six grams will fall foul of Russian administrative law, punishable by a fine or short prison sentence of two weeks. However, those found in possession of more than seven grams will face more serious criminal charges.
As you might expect, those serious charges carry severe punishments, and if you want to be entirely safe from the possibility of criminal charges, it is recommended not to carry anything above 1 gram of plants. Indeed, getting caught with plants in Russia is definitely not a good idea. So consider the vast penalty for plants in Russia before firing one up in Red Square!
- A fine of up to 40,000 roubles (around 600 euros)
- Compulsory labour for up to 480 hours
- Corrective labour for up to two years
- Potential Prison sentence of up to three years.
For those found guilty of being involved in larger-scale operations, the penalties are even stiffer, with a fine of up to 500,000 roubles (around 7000 euros) and a potential prison sentence of up to twelve years. Given all that, possession or using plants in Russia is just not worth it, but despite the risks, it is thought that as many as 8.5 million people still consume the plant on a regular basis. For those who are caught, the chances of avoiding serious penalties are remarkably slim, with the acquittal rate currently standing at just 0.1%.
Sale
Much like possession, the sale of plants is also considered to be a serious offense, and anyone caught selling the plant can expect a range of similarly harsh sentences. Even small-time operators can expect to lose their liberty (house arrest or potential prison sentence) for several years.
Large-scale operations have resulted in heavier sentences of up to twelve years in prison and a fine of up to 1,000,000 roubles. Indeed, should the operation be part of a wider network of organized crime, offenders could even find themselves facing a sentence of up to twenty years.
Growing
Unsurprisingly, the cultivation of plants is also illegal in Russia. Much the same as the punishments for possession or sale, plants cultivation in Russia is a particularly risky business, with prison sentences an inevitability, even for those found to be in possession of only a small number of plants.
Despite Russia’s hard-line approach to plants usage, there has been some positive movement politically. Back in the summer of 2019, a bill was passed by the Russian government that potentially allowed for the cultivation of plants for medicinal purposes. However, as of yet, the bill has yet to be signed into law and progress on the issue remains deadlocked for the time being.
2. Is Extract legal in Russia?
In a word, NO. Extract in Russia is illegal, irrespective of the strength levels contained within the product. Even Extract oil made from hemp is considered an illegal narcotic, while it is not even possible to have Extract products shipped into Russia by mail. Indeed, the recent case of US female basketball player Brittney Griner arrested for possessing extractionsish oil illegal in Russia highlights the risks of possessing these kinds of products inside Russian borders.
3. Is it Legal to Send Plants Seeds to Russia?
No surprises here - Plants seeds are also illegal and may not be sent into or out of the country.
4. Medicinal Plants in Russia
Despite the 2019 bill mentioned earlier, the use of medical plants in Russia remains illegal. Still considered to be in the highest category of narcotic and psychoactive substances within the country, Russian medical plants access remains strictly forbidden. List I substances, including that of plants, are subject to the strictest governmental regulation.
In July 2019, the Russian government amended the Law on Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances. It partially legalized the cultivation of plants containing drugs for manufacturing narcotics and psychoactive substances for medical or veterinary use. The regulation was expected to partially allow the cultivation of plants for medical or veterinary use, but to date, nothing has materialized in this regard. Given all that, medical plants remains inaccessible in Russia, and that seems unlikely to change in the near future.
5. Industrial Hemp in Russia
Russia once relied heavily on hemp as a crop. In fact, hemp fiber constituted one of the primary sources of income for many parts of the country during the 18th century. Indeed, hemp had been an essential commodity in Russia for hundreds of years, with the country becoming the largest producer in the world midway through the eighteenth century. At this point, it is estimated that around 80% of the hemp used in Europe came from Russia, with the material proving more lucrative for Russians than even metal, wood, or fur.
Moving into the nineteenth century, the UK relied heavily on Russian hemp, which resulted in a so-called hemp war with Napoleon. However, by 1807, the French agreed on a peace treaty with Tsar Alexander I on the condition that the country would stop supplying hemp to the UK.
However, the agreement proved-short lived, and just a few years later, the hemp trade between Russia and the UK had reemerged. Angered by the Russian betrayal, Napoleon would lead his army to Moscow in 1812 in a bid to take control of the Russian hemp supply. However, Napoleon’s army was swiftly overwhelmed, and the Russians maintained control over their lucrative hemp industry. Indeed, around 40% of European hemp was produced by Russia until the nineteenth century.
However, as Russia moved into the twentieth century, the hemp trade would decline significantly both because of negative perceptions of the plant and because of the reduced acreage and relatively low returns. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, hemp cultivation would decline further. Yet, despite the decline in the industry, hemp was never illegalized and is still grown in the country today. While there were once sixteen hemp farms cultivating hemp, today, just one exists in Volkhov.
However, despite the decline of this industry, it is estimated that there are roughly 2.5 million hectares of wild hemp growing in the east of the country in and around the Black Sea.
6. History and Politics
Russia has a long relationship with the plants plant, with evidence existing that suggests plants was being used in the country thousands of years ago. An archaeological dig at a burial site in the Altai Mountains revealed that the country’s people consumed the plant for medicinal, religious, or spiritual purposes. It is thought that the plant first entered the country with the Scythians, a nomadic group known for transporting plants as they moved throughout many different countries thousands of years ago.
Despite its rich history with the plant, Russia remains very much anti-plants in its approach today. As we have explained in this article, the Russian approach to plants remains extremely hard-line, with the penalty for plants in Russia some of the harshest across Europe. Indeed, the Russian stance on their opposition to plants has been self-evident, with the government’s response to Canada’s legalization of the plant being that the Canadians had “deliberately decided to breach” international law.
Consistently opposed throughout his presidency since the turn of the twentieth century, President Putin has spoken about his disapproval both of the plant and its legalization in other countries. Indeed, there have even been reports that the Russian government threatened to remove access to Wikipedia if the company did not delete certain pages regarding the methods of producing types of extractions.
Russian intolerance of plants and strength extends to the sporting world, where sportsmen are prohibited from using strength, according to an order issued by the Russian Ministry of Sports in 2018. Unfortunately, the Russian government’s negative stance and opposition to the plant are also reflected in the general population’s acceptance of plants users. Various polls, the veracity of which is uncertain, it should be stated, suggest that upwards of 90% of the population are against the legalization of plants.
Not as popular or as commonly used as in other European countries, it is estimated that just under 4% of the Russian population uses plants. Given the harsh penalty for plants in Russia, it’s hardly surprising that such a small minority of the country partakes in plants consumption. Given all that, Russia's plants laws, particularly for recreational users, are unlikely to change anytime in the near or distant future. While the legalization of medical use has been discussed, as evidenced in the still to be made into law bill of 2019, Russian progress on medical plants law remains slow. Indeed, the Russians have even adopted a counter-drugs strategy that is to run until at least 2030. The strategy suggests that the use of plants for recreational purposes should be viewed as a significant threat to the Russian healstrengthare system.
7. Good to Know
Given the current situation in the region, it´s fair to say that Russian plants laws are not high on the agenda of the government. With few outside visitors expected in the coming months, the subject of plants in Russia is one that will surely take a back burner.
However, if you do find yourself inside Russian borders in the coming months, avoiding plants is probably your safest bet if you want to avoid the potentially harsh penalty for plants in Russia that may occur.
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