Romanian President Klaus Iohannis convened the Supreme Council for National Defence on Wednesday to address the serious threat to national security posed by drugs.
Before the meeting, the Interior Ministry released a draft law for public consultation aimed at increasing penalties for promoting drug use, following the heated debate that erupted last week when Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu presented his drug prevention strategy in parliament.
“Two out of 10 young people between 15 and 24, according to official statistics, have used drugs at least once. One in 10 children up to the age of 16, in schools, one in 10, have used drugs at least once,” said Predoiu.
“Despite your declarations of war against organised crime, in reality, this phenomenon is proliferating, growing like an abscess, exploding, resulting in the loss of children’s lives in Romania”, the former interior minister between December 2020 and September 2021, USR Deputy Stelian Ion, said.
The series of high-level institutional measures and the heated debate inside and outside parliament follow the devastating tragedy in which two students were hit by a 19-year-old driver under the influence of high-risk drugs while walking by the roadside this summer.
Police found drugs in the driver’s car during a traffic stop before the accident, but let him go.
The interior ministry’s bill placed particular emphasis on monitoring traffic behaviour including the potential seizure of vehicles containing drugs classified as risky or high risky.
Under the proposed bill, cars will also be immobilised if drivers refuse a drug test, and video clips provided by witnesses will be accepted as evidence. Drivers who refuse to take a drug test may also have their vehicles seized.
In addition, the bill envisages an increase in penalties for encouraging drug use, with sentences of one to three years for high-risk drugs and one to five years for high-risk substances, instead of the previous few months’ imprisonment.
If the bill is adopted, law enforcement personnel will also be subject to regular drug and alcohol testing during working hours.
(Manuela Preoteasa | Euractiv.ro)
Read more with EURACTIV
Czechia supports Israel’s right to self-defence, call to cut EU funding for Palestine
Source: euractiv.com
