Romanian Lawmakers Adopt Draft Law Banning Hallucinogenic Plants

The draft law initiated by a group of deputies bans the sale, distribution or delivery of such products and the infringement of the law is punished with jail time between six months and three years.

Independent deputy Tudor Ciuhodaru, one of the initiators of the draft law, said the proposition bans trading plants with hallucinogenic effects, adding the Health Ministry can modify the list of banned products.

Secretary of state for the relation with the Parliament Valentin Iliescu said the deputies’ law initiative overlaps with the Government plan to adopt an emergency decree banning psychedelic plants during the Cabinet meeting Wednesday.

Romania’s Government notified the European Union regarding this issue long ago and Prime Minister Emil Boc decided to pass an emergency decree as no answer came from the EU, Iliescu said.

Democrat liberal deputy Sever Voinescu said democrat liberals uphold the draft law banning the consumption and sale of hallucinogenic plants, adding they are waiting for the Government’s decree.

Social democrat Cristian Dumitrescu said the Parliament is not in any sort of competition with the Government, adding it is of no use to wait for an emergency decree to regulate this issue.

Deputies adopted the draft law amending Law 143/2000 on preventing and fighting drug trafficking and consumption with 226 votes in favor, one against and three abstentions. The draft law was previously adopted in the Senate.

Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc urged the health minister Friday to urgently complete a normative act banning the consumption of psychedelic plants, irrespective of the approval of the European Commission concerning the matter.