Romania is facing an alarming increase in drug use among young people, yet the anti-drug centres promised by the Ministry of Health remain, for the time being, nothing more than a theoretical framework. On 21 May 2025, the Ministry of Health published a draft order for public consultation, with the intention of regulating the functioning of mental health and addiction prevention centres. The public consultation period was set for a duration of 10 days from the date of posting on the ministry's website. Nevertheless, the initiative materialises more than four months after the legal deadline by which the ministry was required to promulgate the law.
The publication of this document follows an official complaint made by The Foundation For The Defense Of The Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS), which is a preliminary step to initiate a lawsuit against the ministry in order to force it to adopt the normative act.
Since 30 April 2025, FACIAS has been insisting that the Ministry adopt the order stipulated in Emergency Ordinance No. 147/2024 with the utmost urgency. This order establishes the operational framework of the National Agency for Policies and Coordination in the Field of Drugs and Addiction. Should the authorities fail to comply with this directive by 1 July 2025, FACIAS has declared its intention to initiate legal action against the Ministry to ensure adherence to the prevailing legislation.
In the absence of this order, the network of specialised centres for the prevention and treatment of addictions cannot be operationalised. This indicates that a significant proportion of young people in vulnerable circumstances do not have access to timely psychological and medical support. The daily functioning of these centres is of paramount importance, as failure to do so can result in a significant escalation in the risk of addiction, which in turn can lead to a number of adverse consequences, including but not limited to the dissolution of familial structures, the abandonment of educational pursuits, and the augmentation of social expenditures. While the establishment of the National Agency was undoubtedly a significant development, the absence of a functional network of centres has resulted in an incomplete and ineffective system of prevention and intervention. In such a fragile social context, the delay of these measures becomes a matter of even greater concern.
Recent data demonstrate the severity of the situation on a national scale: 15% of Romanians have used cannabis in the last year; 1 in 3 students in Bucharest assert that drugs are a genuine problem in schools; the age of first exposure to drugs has decreased to below 13; cheap and hard-to-detect psychoactive substances are spreading rapidly, especially in urban areas. These developments indicate the emergence of a crisis that demands prompt and decisive action from the authorities.
Despite the Ministry of Health's move towards dialogue by publishing the draft order, the delay already observed gives rise to significant concerns. While documentation is being transferred between offices, the reality on the ground indicates an urgent necessity for action. FACIAS emphasises that this is not merely an administrative document, but rather a matter of significant concern for the lives of thousands of young people. It is imperative that anti-drug centres do not persist as mere rhetorical commitments; rather, they must evolve into a functional reality.