Romanian senators propose decriminalising personal drug possession

On 5 October, a trio of senators - Victoria Stoiciu, Cătălin-Daniel Fenechiu and Cristian Ghinea - submitted a legislative initiative that would overhaul Romania's drug policy. The bill seeks to downgrade the handling of personal drug possession, purchase, cultivation and similar acts from criminal offences to administrative infractions, substituting imprisonment with monetary penalties. Its supporters claim that the majority of DIICOT dossiers involve low-level users, while major traffickers receive comparatively little attention.

By shifting enforcement focus, the proposal intends to allocate more funding to anti-trafficking operations and to health-based support programmes for addicts. The measure also calls for retroactive application, so past convictions for personal possession would be nullified. The draft does not legalise drugs; trafficking would remain a crime with existing penalties.