Driver candidates will be forced to pass a test for chronic alcoholism

According to Kommersant, the new order will replace the current document approved in 2015. According to modern rules, future drivers, as well as those who renew their rights issued 10 years ago, are required to obtain certificates from neuropsychiatric and drug addiction dispensaries at their place of residence that they are not registered with a psychiatrist and drug addiction specialist.

“According to the new rules, candidates for drivers will be obliged to undergo additional research if a doctor notices signs of chronic alcoholism or drug addiction in him”, - reports the TV channel Dozhd.

How exactly the doctor should determine these signs, the order does not say. However, the document says that as an additional check, the doctor has the right to order additional blood and urine tests, which can be used to trace signs of chronic alcohol use and the presence of psychoactive substances such as opiates, cannabinoids, cocaine and methadone.

These tests will be required to pass not only candidates for drivers, but also those who are trying to regain their rights after being deprived.

If the order is approved, the new rules will take effect on January 1, 2022. A year and a half ago, the Ministry of Health has already tried to introduce similar additional testing for drivers. Among the required studies, a CDT test for a specific marker indicating the presence of a chronic disease was planned.

Having learned about the upcoming changes, the drivers lined up in long queues in front of drug dispensaries, trying to have time to get certificates according to the old rules and at the old price, which differed from the new one by 10-13 times. Many expressed indignation at the fact that due to the innovations the price of the certificate had become “prohibitive” and, in fact, “barrage”: it deprived professional drivers of the opportunity to be tested, since it became comparable to the monthly salary of a driver in a number of regions.

After numerous complaints and appeals from dissatisfied citizens, the introduction of the new rules of the Ministry of Health was frozen. After the “barrage” tests were publicly criticized by President Vladimir Putin, the draft order of the Ministry of Health was sent back for revision.