The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has requested a statistical report from the Institute of Forensic Medicine "Mina Minovici" (INML) in Bucharest, detailing the total number of drug tests performed and the number of tests conducted by the institute in relation to these figures.
The INML "Mina Minovici" Bucharest acknowledges the absence of up-to-date statistics on police testing and is therefore unable to provide such information. In order to ensure the dissemination of fair and transparent data to citizens who may be adversely affected by false positive tests, FACIAS has requested this data.
The data obtained by FACIAS indicates that in 2022, there were 2139 requests for testing for the presence of drugs in the body, of which 1747 cases yielded positive results. Similarly, during the period between January and May 2023, which represents the most recently available data from the INML, 926 requests were registered, with 696 cases yielding positive test results. This indicates that approximately 25% of the conducted tests yielded false positive results.
Furthermore, INML has indicated that, up until 10 September 2024, there have been 2243 requests for the determination of the presence of psychoactive substances and 1772 requests for alcohol tests.
The situation is as grave as it can be, given that INML has data for only 19 counties in the country for applications and confirmed cases in 2022, i.e. January to May 2023.
The three counties with the highest number of claims and confirmed cases, respectively, from January to May 2023 are as follows:
- București: 326 requests, 246 confirmed cases;
- Brașov: 96 requests, 84 confirmed cases;
- Dâmbovița: 76 requests, 74 confirmed cases.
Top 3 counties with the most claims, or confirmed cases, in 2022:
- București: 887 requests, 749 confirmed cases;
- Brașov: 199 requests, 174 confirmed cases;
- Constanța: 179 requests, 149 confirmed cases.
The Romanian Police have informed FACIAS that they currently possess 800 Drager DrugTest 5000 devices, each purchased at a cost of 13,999.16 lei, amounting to a total expenditure of 11,200,000 lei (approximately 2,200,000 euros).
In June, FACIAS requested that the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (IGPR) publish the official documents that demonstrate the effectiveness of the drug test machines and which were the basis for their purchase. However, the IGPR declined to furnish the requested documentation, citing that the information in question is not subject to the provisions of Law 544/2001 on the right of access to information of public interest. Consequently, on 30 August 2024, FACIAS initiated legal proceedings against the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, seeking a court order compelling the institution to disclose the information.
In light of the considerable number of individuals impacted by the recent amendments to the "Drugtest" Ordinance, FACIAS has devised a framework through which those who have suffered adverse consequences can seek redress.