Belarus

Article 328 of the Belarusian Criminal Code punishes unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of narcotics with up to five years' deprivation of liberty for personal purposes and three to eight years where distribution is intended, while sowing or cultivating narcotic plants is a separate offence. Belarus eliminated its remaining industrial hemp allowances in 2017, and authorities classify even sub-0.2% THC hemp as contraband subject to destruction, so no licensed hemp seed channel exists. Attempts to import seed or hemp material are screened under customs narcotics controls. The regime is widely described as one of the strictest in Europe, with no medical or collector exceptions.