Launch of the study "Anti-drug Policies in Romania: Between Criminal Justice and Public Health

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung - Romania launched the study " Anti-drug Policies in Romania: Between Criminal Justice and Public Health" at a conference held in Bucharest on 18 October 2023. The study was carried out by an interdisciplinary team composed of Vlad-George Zaha, criminologist, specialized at Oxford University, Alina Dumitriu, social worker and psychotherapist specialized in addictions and Costin-Aurel Militaru, doctor specialized in harm reduction programs. 

The analysis of the anti-drug policies in Romania in recent years reveals that the main approach to reducing drug use in this country is punitive, based on criminal penalties. 

However, Romania's highly punitive legislation compared to most European countries has failed to be an effective tool to combat and prevent consumption and trafficking. Over the last 10 years, despite tens of thousands of cases being processed, consumption has increased for all drugs. The annual measurements show many records in terms of investigations, prosecutions and convictions, but also an increased criminal focus on drug users (possessors) rather than dealers. The majority of DIICOT – the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism cases are for the use of prohibited substances, not trafficking, mostly of young people identified with small quantities of substance in their possession. 

The costs of these approaches not only amount to tens of millions of euros annually to employ the entire justice system, but also bring costs and negative consequences for consumers, their families and society as a whole, as even the mere incursion into the justice system has a significant negative impact on the health and future prospects of the individual: reduced employment opportunities, social exclusion, stigma, depression, development of deviant behavior, etc. 

The prohibition and "zero drugs" approach focused on harsh punishments against people who possess drugs only for their own consumption and reinforced by fear-inducing and consumer-stigmatizing public campaigns or information in schools have proved their limits.  When they realized that prohibitionist measures had failed to reduce consumption and traffic, causing preventable human suffering, several countries worldwide and in Europe abandoned them, opting for public health policies. 

This more recent approach considers the interests of the consumer and offers integrated psycho-medico-social services, involves destigmatizing and decriminalizing the possession of small quantities of substances for personal use and safe consumption. According to this approach, messages aimed at preventing and informing the population about drug use are not moralizing or aimed to induce fear about any drug-related consumption activity, but convey honest information about responsible consumption, institutions and support services. 

In countries that have embraced public health as a drug policy philosophy, rates of drug use, new HIV, HBV and HCV infections and drug-related deaths and overdoses have declined, encouraging many more people to seek medical and psychosocial help for problematic drug use than does the 'zero drugs' approach.  

In this context, the main recommendations of the study are: to abandon the harsh punitive approach to drugs and implement a public health policy inspired by countries' models where such policies have proven their effectiveness; to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of drugs for personal use, following the regulations of countries where such policies are implemented; to facilitate support for access to care, among others, through the adoption by the Ministry of Health of a functional intervention guideline on how to approach the drug user, according to the type of substance, nature of administration, frequency, etc. The authors also recommend the transfer of the Romanian National Anti-Drug Agency from the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Health and the reorganization of the organigram and structure of the National Centre for Mental Health and Anti-Drug. 

The complete study can be found at the following link (in Romanian) : library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/bukarest/20633.pdf