Belarus countries/by.yaml
Acquiring or possessing drugs without intent to supply can bring short custody, restriction of liberty for up to five years, or two to five years in prison.[@code25] The short-custody option was added in March 2025; the code defines that sentence as one to three months in strict isolation.[@code19,explanation25] The offence gives no small-personal-amount exemption.[@code25]
Sowing or growingGrowing drug-containing plants for sale or to obtain drugs is a separate offence. The basic penalty iscrime, with a fine, short custody, restriction of liberty for up to three years or prison forimprisonment up to three years. Repeat and [@growing] Group or repeat cultivation carries restriction of liberty up to five years or three to seven years in prison; organised-group cases carry heavier penaltiescultivation carries five to fifteen years with an optional fine. There is no personal home-[@growing allowance] Criminal fines ordinarily run from thirty to one thousand base values; at the 2026 value of BYN45 this is BYN1,350–45,000.[@finerange,base26]
code19growing, law12finerange, base26
The 2025 reform added short custody for personal offences and restriction of liberty for basic supply.[@prosecutor26,explanation25,code19] In June 2026 prosecutors reported restriction of liberty made up 48% of drug sentences in the previous year, most often in personal-use cases.[@prosecutor26,explanation25,code19] This means supervised obligations and can involve an open correctional institution or supervision outside one.[@prosecutor26,explanation25,code19]
Unlawful supply is criminalised. The basic supply offence now carries restriction of liber … ars, with an optional fine on the prison sentence. Aggravated supply carries longer terms.[@code25] Aggravated supply carries six to fifteen years; organised-group or specified laboratory production eight to twenty; and supply causing death by negligence twelve to twenty-five, with optional fines.[@code25] Optional criminal fines use the ordinary thirty-to-one-thousand-base range, BYN1,350–45,000 at the 2026 base value.[@finerange,base26]
code25, finerange, base26
Public drug use and specifiedwithout prescription brings an administrative fine of ten to fifteen base values, BYN450–675 at the 2026 rate.[@publicuse,base26] Specified drug-related public orintoxication brings five to ten values and workplace intoxication can leadeight to criminal punishment when repeatedtwelve.[@publicuse] Repeating qualifying conduct within a year after an administrative penalty for the same conductis criminal: a fine, one to three months of short custody or restriction of liberty for up to two years. Possession is a separate[@repeatuse,code19] A criminal offencefine under Article 50 is ordinarily thirty to one thousand base values, BYN1,350–45,000 in 2026.[@finerange,base26]
publicuse, base26, repeatuse, code19, finerange
Recreational acquisition and supply remain criminal offences.[@code25,list25] The Health Ministry’s list places marijuana, hashish and cannabis oil among dangerous narcotic drugs not used for medical purposes.[@code25,list25]
Unauthorised drug manufacture and processing are criminalised, with heavier penalties where supply is intended.[@code25,code19,hemp16] Growing drug-containing plants has a separate criminal offence; the environmental list also names Cannabis sativa among plants barred from introduction and establishment.[@code25,code19,hemp16]
Marijuana, hashish and cannabis oil appear in list 5 of the Health Ministry’s controlled-drug list, headed dangerous narcotic drugs not used for medical purposes. The marijuana definition covers THC-containing cannabis plant parts, with specific exclusions for whole seeds unaccompanied by other plant parts and for root systems.
list25
Cannabis and cannabis-based preparations are prohibited for medical use under the Health Ministry’s traveller guidance supplied to the INCB.[@traveller] Marijuana, hashish and cannabis oil are classified asalso appear in the controlled-drug list headed dangerous narcotic drugsnarcotics not used for medical purposes inmedically.[@list25] A foreign prescription therefore does not permit a visitor to bring cannabis medicine under the reviewed Health Ministry list, consolidated through February 2025general controlled-medicines travel allowance.[@traveller]
traveller, list25
Personal possession remains a criminal offence even when the court chooses short custody or restriction of liberty.[@code19,code25,amnestyGuide] Restriction of liberty imposes supervised obligations and can be served in an open correctional institution or without placement there.[@code19,code25,amnestyGuide] The May 2025 amnesty widened eligibility for people with no previous convictions, subject to individual conditions.[@code19,code25,amnestyGuide]
The narcotics law prohibits sowing or growing drug-containing plants, subject to exceptions in legislation.[@law12,code19,list25] Growing to obtain drugs is punishable under a separate cultivation offence.[@law12,code19,list25] The marijuana definition excludes whole seeds when unaccompanied by other plant parts; that exclusion gives no permission to germinate them.[@law12,code19,list25]
Collective drug cultivation and recreational supply fall under the criminal prohibitions on growing drug-containing plants and supplying drugs.[@law12,code25] The basic supply offence includes restriction of liberty or prison.[@law12,code25]
There isVisitors have no legal recreational supply. Personal possession is criminalisedsupplier and can bring short custody or two to five years in prison. Thepersonal possession remains criminal code excludes foreign.[@code25] Foreign citizens and stateless people without permanent residence fromcannot receive the restriction-of-liberty sentence otherwise available to eligible residents.[@code19] Cannabis medicines are excluded from the traveller medicines allowance, even with a prescription.[@traveller]
code25, code19, traveller
Figures reported by the government to the UN drugs office record 69.3 kg of herbal cannabis seized in 2024, against 88.1 kg in 2023, and 485 kg of cannabis resin seized in 2024, against 671 kg in 2023.[@unodc_szr] The UN publishes them as kilogram equivalents, and countries count seizures differently, so the figures are not comparable across borders.[@unodc_szr]
Belarus Criminal Code — Article 329 (statutory text at Zakony-by) Belarus Administrative Offences Code — Article 19.3(3)–(5) Belarus Criminal Code — Article 328-2, repeated public-use offence Belarus Criminal Code — Article 50, criminal fine range Belarus Ministry of Taxes — Base value becomes BYN45 from 1 January 2026 Belarus Ministry of Health — Traveller medicines guidance supplied to INCB (2025) 9 unchanged
label Personal possession — imprisonment option · treatment criminal · term Article 328(1) · prison min 2 years · prison 5 years · note Short custody or restriction of liberty are alternatives, label Personal possession — short-custody option · treatment criminal · term Arrest (Article 54) · prison min 1 month · prison 3 months · note An alternative to imprisonment or restriction of liberty
BYN
label Ordinary unlawful cultivation for drugs or supply · treatment criminal · term Article 329(1) · prison 3 years · fine min 1350 · fine 45000 · note Prison or a fine, short custody or restriction of liberty; fine values use 2026 base, label Repeat, group or specified previous drug offence · treatment criminal · term Article 329(2) · prison min 3 years · prison 7 years · note Restriction of liberty is an alternative; group condition also applies to first offenders, label Organised-group cultivation · treatment criminal · term Article 329(3) · prison min 5 years · prison 15 years · fine min 1350 · fine 45000 · note Additional fine optional; fine values use 2026 base
label Ordinary supply — imprisonment option · treatment criminal · term Article 328(2) · prison min 3 years · prison 8 years · note Restriction of liberty is an alternative; additional fine optional; fine values use the 2026 base · fine min 1350 · fine 45000, label Aggravated supply · treatment criminal · term Article 328(3) · prison min 6 years · prison 15 years · note Additional fine optional; fine values use the 2026 base · fine min 1350 · fine 45000, label Organised group or specified laboratory production · treatment criminal · term Article 328(4) · prison min 8 years · prison 20 years · note Additional fine optional; fine values use the 2026 base · fine min 1350 · fine 45000, label Supply causing death by negligence · treatment criminal · term Article 328(5) · prison min 12 years · prison 25 years · note Additional fine optional; fine values use the 2026 base · fine min 1350 · fine 45000
BYN
BYN
label Public use without prescription · treatment civil · term Article 19.3(5) · fine min 450 · fine 675 · note 2026 base value, label Repeat qualifying public use after administrative penalty · repeat 2 · treatment criminal · term Article 328-2 · prison min 1 month · prison 3 months · fine min 1350 · fine 45000 · note Short custody or a fine, or restriction of liberty; fine values use 2026 base
Adults have no legal shop or personal-growing allowance for drug cannabis.[@code25,law12] Personal possession remains criminal even when a court uses the shorter custody option added in [March 2025](/history/belarus-drug-sentencing-options-2025/).[@code25] Public consumption has a separate administrative offence that can become criminal after repetition.[@publicuse,repeatuse]
code25, law12, publicuse, repeatuse
none
The narcotics law prohibits sowing or growing drug-containing plants, subject to legislative exceptions.[@law12] The environmental list also bars introducing or establishing Cannabis sativa, following the [2016 revision](/history/belarus-cultivation-ban-2016/).[@hemp16] The reviewed rules provide no general low-THC growing allowance for households.[@law12,hemp16]
law12, hemp16