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Law Journal of the National Academy of Internal Affairs

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  • Volume 15, No. 3, 2025

  • Analysis of the practice of criminalising advertising of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their analogues

  • Received 23.06.2025,
  • Revised 03.09.2025,
  • Accepted 29.09.2025
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Volume 15, No. 3, 2025
  • drug crime; cryptocurrency; illegal trafficking; administrative and criminal liability; international experience; law enforcement
  • https://doi.org/10.63341/naia-chasopis/3.2025.09
  • Pages 9-23

The relevance of the topic lies in the fact that the information sphere and drug promotion often remain outside the effective legal response. This issue is particularly acute in Ukraine, because war, social instability, and weakening of institutional control contribute to the activation of drug crime, in particular in the information space. The purpose of the study was to assess the need for criminalisation of advertising of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their analogues in Ukraine. For this purpose, system and structural, comparative, statistical, system, and extrapolation methods were used. It was proved that the increase in the number of people who use narcotic substances by almost one and a half times may be conditioned by, in particular, the easy availability of advertising of narcotic substances in a personʼs daily life: both offline and online. It was found that during the social instability caused by contemporary changes and the social realities of war, which psychologically traumatise people, suitable conditions for drug trafficking and advertising have emerged. Amendments to the criminal legislation of Ukraine that criminalise advertising of narcotic drugs in Ukraine were proposed, simplifying the investigation and proof of drug-related offences for law enforcement agencies. It was established that, despite the existence of separate prohibitions and norms, the criminal legislation of Ukraine, considering the changes proposed in this paper, can become more effective in protecting the population from drug addiction. In this context, it was particularly important to investigate international experience, in particular, the practices of the European Union, the United States of America, and Canada. Thus, the study of criminalisation of advertising of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances has scientific and practical significance, since it contributes to the improvement of the criminal legislation of Ukraine, the development of a unified law enforcement practice, and ensuring the protection of society from the spread of crime related to narcotic drugs

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