Uzbekistan has established a procedure for mandatory medical laboratory testing for narcotic substances for citizens being called up for compulsory military service and those being accepted for military service under contract. The decision was adopted by the Ministry of Defense, State Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations, National Guard, and Ministry of Health. The document was registered with the Ministry of Justice on September 14 under number 3939.
Under the new procedure, conscripts undergoing compulsory military service are tested free of charge, while citizens accepted for contract service are tested based on an agreement with a forensic medical examination institution. Testing is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, a urine sample is checked using an express test. If the express test result is negative, a certificate confirming the absence of narcotic substances in the citizen's body is issued on the same day.
A positive express test result does not definitively confirm drug use. In such cases, a second stage of testing is conducted. In the second stage, mass spectrometric identification is performed to determine the type of narcotic substances in urine and/or blood samples and to confirm the express test result. Samples are examined within three working days from the date of collection. If the second stage result is also positive, a certificate is drawn up confirming the detection of narcotic substances in the citizen's urine and/or blood samples.
A citizen whose express test is positive has the right to refuse to provide a urine and/or blood sample for subsequent mass spectrometric testing. However, in this case, a certificate is issued stating that the medical testing was not completed. If a conscript has not undergone testing, refused to provide samples, or if narcotic substances are detected in the final test, they are not sent to the military-medical commission for a medical examination. Citizens accepted for contract military service are also not examined in military-medical institutions in such cases.
Citizens dissatisfied with the results of medical testing have the right to appeal to the Ministry of Health, the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Forensic Medical Expertise, or a court. Confidentiality of personal data, urine and blood samples, and medical test results obtained during testing is also ensured. Testing of conscripts will be financed from 2027 onwards from state budget funds, sponsorship donations, and other sources not prohibited by law. The decision enters into force from the day of its official publication.
Source: www.gazeta.uz