Russia, Land of the Unpredictable Past
Key takeaways
- Formally, the bill, which the Russian Duma passed back in 2024, amends existing regulation on narcotics.
- In other words, it affects anything in the entire post-Soviet archive of Russian print products, music, and film that could be vaguely interpreted as promoting drugs.
- The new law follows a familiar pattern of Russian censorship, most notably the 2013 ban of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations,” which effectively outlawed any depiction of gay or lesbian life.
On March 1, a new Russian law came into effect targeting “propaganda of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors,” and psychoactive plants, particularly all public utterances judged to promote “tolerance toward” or the “attractiveness or necessity” of using these substances. Formally, the bill, which the Russian Duma passed back in 2024, amends existing regulation on narcotics. But hiding in the small print of the new law is an unprecedented attempt to rewrite the entire cultural history of post-Soviet Russia.
The most significant part of the amendment is the widely broadened scope: While the online promotion of drugs was previously restricted, the amendment retroactively subjects all “works of literature and arts” to a review for compliance. In other words, it affects anything in the entire post-Soviet archive of Russian print products, music, and film that could be vaguely interpreted as promoting drugs. Content deemed offensive under the new law must bear a special visible warning. Offenders face large fines and even prison time for repeat offenses.
On March 1, a new Russian law came into effect targeting “propaganda of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors,” and psychoactive plants, particularly all public utterances judged to promote “tolerance toward” or the “attractiveness or necessity” of using these substances. Formally, the bill, which the Russian Duma passed back in 2024, amends existing regulation on narcotics. But hiding in the small print of the new law is an unprecedented attempt to rewrite the entire cultural history of post-Soviet Russia.