Romanian "legal high" shops will be required to sell solely government-approved products, and authorities will crack down on the sale of hallucinogenic plants and associated substances, people close to the matter told MEDIAFAX on Wednesday.
This rule will be legislated through a joint order of the ministers of Health, Interior and Agriculture, while the National Consumer Protection Authority, the National Sanitary-Veterinary Authority and the National Fiscal Administration Agency will check whether it is observed. Inspectors from these agencies will have the right to shut down shops violating this obligation.
"The procedure aims to ban the sale of any dangerous substance which is not currently regulated," said the sources. "For instance, a shop claiming to sell flower fertilizer will be required to submit the product to the Ministry of Agriculture, where experts will analyze it and prohibit its sale if it is found to contain hallucinogenic compounds. If such fertilizer is sold in a bag, the shop may be ordered to sell it by the kilo."
According to the sources, the Government has chosen this procedure after finding it cannot ban a chemical substance whose formula can be changed slightly by adding another legal chemical element.
On February 10, 2010, the Executive passed an emergency ordinance banning the distribution and sale of 36 hallucinogenic plants and substances. Still, hundreds of youths continued to use psychedelic substances, ending up in hospital in serious condition. Doctors and school authorities requested that shops selling such products be shut down.
