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Putin signs law on drug tests for pupils

The tests would be volunteer

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, June 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a law on testing pupils on use of drug substances, the Kremlin’s official site reports.

The State Duma adopted the law on May 15, and on May 29 the Federation Council followed suit.

The new law says tested will be school pupils and students of colleges and universities.

The tests will be divided into two parts. The first one, socio-psychological, will consist of a questionnaire, and the second one is medical tests.

The tests would be volunteer, and nobody will have a right to make pupils take them.

If a pupil is under 14, one of the parents should agree with taking a test. Following the age of 15, a teenager may make a decision him- or herself.

If the test results a positive, the pupil will be sent to a specialised medical institution, where a consent is expected either from parents /if a child is under 15/ or from the pupil of over 15.

Test results will be strictly confidential.

The law will come into force in six months from the president’s signing.

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