Parliament passed in the first reading a bill stipulating harsh penalties for the production and sale of substances with powerful or toxic effects, namely anabolic steroids. Until now the Moldovan legislation didn’t provide penalties for doping, IPN reports.

Bill author, Democratic MP and Deputy Speaker Sergiu Sarbu said the production of substances with powerful or toxic effects, without the intention of selling them, will be punished with a fine of 10,000 to 14,000 lei, up to 200 hours of community service, or up to two years in jail in the case of private individuals. The penalty for legal entities is 80,000 to 120,000 lei, ban on performing particular activities or closure of the business.

The production of such substances with the intention of selling them will be punished with three to six years in jail in the case of private individuals and with a fine of 100,000 to 140,000 lei or closure in the case of legal entities.

If these substances are sold on the territory of education institutions and social rehabilitation institutions, the punishment will be five to eight years in jail and a fine of up to 160,000 lei.

When the bill is adopted in the second reading, the Government will approve the list of banned substances and will publish it in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Moldova within three months.