Belarusian organisations Legalize Belarus and Youth Bloc, which advocate for humane drug policy and respect for human rights, published a study analysing their country’s drug policy, outlining recommendations for the Government to create alternatives to incarceration and improve conditions for people using drugs.
On 13 June 2019, the Belarusian House of Representatives passed amendments to the notorious Article 328 of the country's Criminal Code. In the new version of the legislation, the lower limit of punishment under the 2nd and 3rd parts of the article that account for drug distribution is reduced by 2 years.
The argument that “society is not ready for a change” or any other populist statement in support of the war against drug users is in fact hiding interests of criminals and nomenklatura — the establishment.
A high-profile criminal trial, involving a group of young people and a young woman’s tragic death following MDMA use, has gripped Belarus.
Fighting the fear of cannabis to end the savage drug war in Belarus. Legalize Belarus civic campaign activists presented Gods & Cannabis T-shirts collection.
On 17 May Legalize Belarus website legalize.by was blocked by decision of the Ministry of Information (MI) after they received a request from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
More than a dozen Belarusian women have participated in a hunger strike for 10 days, hoping for the release of their sons, husbands, grandsons, and other relatives from imprisonment or drug-related charges.
Brave young people had enough of harsh drug laws in Belarus and fight back. They found allies in the mothers of drug convicts, who went on hunger strike to demand an end to the war on their sons.
Belarus is an Eastern European country blessed with a rich cultural heritage and a scenic landscape, but its people are subject to some of the most repressive drug policies on the continent.
On 17 February 2018, a group of young Belarusians holding a banner reading ‘Legalize Belarus’ gathered on Independence Avenue in the heart of Minsk. The group was campaigning for the legalisation of marijuana in Belarus, a proposition that, at least for now, seems unlikely to attract support from the public or government officials.