• Drug use among the general population and young people
• Prevention
• Problem drug use
• Treatment demand
• Drug-related infectious diseases
• Drug-related deaths
• Treatment responses
• Harm reduction responses
• Drug markets and drug-related offences
• National drug laws
• National drug strategy
• Coordination mechanism in the field of drugs
• References

The Republic of Moldova is located in the south-east of Europe. In the north, south and east the country borders with Ukraine and in the west with Romania. The Republic of Moldova gained its independence on 27 August 1991. Before 1991 the country was part of the Soviet Union. The Republic of Moldova is a parliamentary republic. The President of the Republic of Moldova is elected for a four-year term of office by the Parliament.

The total surface area is 33 800 sq km, with a total border length of 1 389 km. The main river of the country is the Dniester River. Following the currently frozen political conflict of the 1990s, the territory on the left bank of the Dniester River is not fully controlled by the Government of the Republic of Moldova.

According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics (National Bureau of Statistics, 2009) 41.3 % of the population is urban and 58.7 % rural. The gender distribution is as follows: females 51.9 % and males 48.1 %. The majority of the population (93.3 %) identify themselves as Orthodox Christians. The biggest cities on the right bank of the Dniester River are the capital city, Chisinau (with a population of 785 100), and the city of Balti (148 100). Administratively, the Republic of Moldova is divided into 35 districts (rayons), 3 municipalities (Chisinau, Balti, and Comrat), and the Transdniestrian region.

Drug use among the general population and young people

In 2008, a General Population Survey was conducted in the Republic of Moldova that aimed to estimate the prevalence of substance use on the basis of a representative sample of the population aged 15–64 years old living on the right bank of the Dniester River for the first time (Scutelniciuc, O. et al. 2009c). The ‘European Model Questionnaire’ (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2002) was included as part of the survey questionnaire. The final sample size was 3 816 respondents (1 769 males, 2 047 females); the size of the sampled population was estimated as being as high as 2 575 800. The data were weighted to make the sample close to the official population distribution by sex, age groups, and area of residence (National Bureau of Statistics 2008).

The prevalence rates of cannabis use are higher in males in comparison to females. The highest prevalence rates of cannabis use were registered in the 20-24-year-old and 25-29-year-old age groups.

Table 1: Prevalence rates of cannabis and ecstasy use in general population (15–64 years old), 2008, right bank of Dniester River, Republic of Moldova (Scutelniciuc, O., Condrat, I. and Plamadeala, D., 2009c)

The lifetime prevalence (henceforth LTP) of ecstasy use and the last-year prevalence (henceforth LYP) of ecstasy use are higher in males than females. In the case of the last-month prevalence (henceforth LMP), the difference between the genders is not significant. The LTP in the 20-29 age group is higher than in the other groups, while in the case of the LYP and the LMP in the 15–19 age group it is not much different from that in the 20–24 age group.

Disaggregating the data by area of residence, it can be observed that in rural areas the prevalence rates of cannabis and ecstasy use are markedly lower than in urban areas.

In 2008, the first ESPAD survey was conducted in the Republic of Moldova, on the right bank of the Dniester River, which targeted schoolchildren born in 1992 (Scutelniciuc, O. et al. 2009b). A sample of 400 classes (200 in the 8th grade and 200 in the 9th grade) was selected randomly and interviewed. The data collection tool was the standardised ESPAD self-administered questionnaire. The final sample constituted 3 170 schoolchildren born in 1992, 48.7 % of them being males and 51.3 % females.

Table 2: Prevalence rates of cannabis and ecstasy use in 16-year-old schoolchildren, 2008, right bank of Dniester River, Republic of Moldova (Scutelniciuc O., Condrat, I., and Plamadeala, D. 2009b)

The prevalence rates of cannabis and ecstasy use among students born in 1992 are substantially higher in the males who were sampled than in the females.

Other illegal drug use prevalence rates gave substantially lower values that overlap with the statistical margin error in both surveys.

top of page

Prevention

Preventive measures targeting drug use among schoolchildren are stipulated in the Law of the Republic of Moldova No 713-XV, dated 6 December 2001, On the control and prevention of the abuse of alcohol and use of illegal drugs and other psychotropic substances (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova 2002). The development of a course about the harmfulness of drug use in the curricula of pre-university institutions was envisaged in the ‘Measures for fighting drug addiction and drug trafficking in the years 2005–06’, approved by the Resolution of the Government No 166, dated 15 February 2005 (Guvernul Republicii Moldova 2005b). As of 1 September 2005, pre-university education in institutions on the right bank of the Dniester River included in their curricula the obligatory compulsory training course ‘Life Skills Education’, which included a chapter on the prevention of drug use. After negative reactions from some parents, schoolchildren, and religious organisations targeting sex education, and following several months of discussions, the course became optional, and the sex education chapter was excluded. This optional course starts in the 6th grade, once the pupils are 13 years of age, and continues till the pupils turn 18 years of age and graduate from high school.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, within the ‘Measures of fighting drug addiction and drug trafficking in the years 2007–09’ (Guvernul Republicii Moldova 2007), should also perform activities designed to prevent drug use in pre-university educational institutions. Such activities have been implemented by way of organising classes attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Extracurricular education for the prevention of drug use is stipulated in the Law of the Republic of Moldova No 713-XV, dated 6 December 2001, On the control and prevention of the abuse of alcohol and use of illegal drugs and other psychotropic substances, adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova 2002). The development of extracurricular programmes was stipulated in the plan ‘Measures for fighting drug addiction and drug trafficking in the years 2005–06’, approved by the Resolution of the Government No 166, dated 15 February 2005 (Guvernul Republicii Moldova 2005a). The prevention of drug use within out-of-school activities, envisaged in this legal enactment, bears the character rather of a programme for the overall support of healthy lifestyles than of one for the (specific) primary prevention of drug use.

In order to improve the preventive legal framework, in December 2008 the Parliament passed amendments to the Law of the Republic of Moldova No 713-XV, dated 6 December 2001. On the control and prevention of the abuse of alcohol and use of illegal drugs and other psychotropic substances. The law foresees that driving schools will be obliged to provide in their curricula an 8-hour course on anti-alcohol and anti-drug education in groups of a maximum of 15 persons (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova 2009b).

top of page

Problem drug use

An attempt to estimate the number of IDUs was performed by World Bank (WB) consultants in 2003 (Godinho Joanna 2003) for the ‘Project Appraisal Document of the World Bank grant to fight HIV/AIDS in Moldova’. According to the report, it was estimated that there were 35 000 IDUs in the Republic of Moldova in 2001, with an estimated monthly increase of 0.05 %; the model, however, does not estimate the natural decrease (deaths and natural history of the disease) and other important factors or the dynamics of the prevalence of drug use and thus its forecast that in 2011 the number of IDUs would reach 37 000 is rather doubtful. Moreover, the model admittedly makes several assumptions that do not correspond with the observed reality in the Republic of Moldova.

Within the next Integrated Bio-Behavioural Survey, which is planned to be conducted in 2009, another attempt to estimate the size of the IDU population will be performed using multiple methods (multiplier and capture–recapture using unique objects). The study will apply the Respondent-driven sampling recruiting strategy, which, it is assumed, will reach IDUs who use and who do not use harm reduction services. Data collected on the basis of the scale-up method are already available and will be used for the national estimations.

Thus, in the Republic of Moldova, there are still no reliable estimations of the size of the IDU population. 

top of page

Treatment demand

Police testees (persons tested for the presence of drug metabolites in their saliva or urine at the request of the police) and the health care system (voluntary admission to treatment or accidental detection during prophylactic checkups (¹)) serve as the main sources for the registration of drug users in the ‘Narcological Register’.

Once a person is considered to be a drug user by the narcological experts (which means a biological liquid test for the presence of drugs and/or metabolites), s/he is compulsorily registered (entered into the ‘Narcological Register’ database), regardless of his/her wishes. Furthermore, the patients are referred to the district-level narcologist for final diagnosis and treatment according to the diagnosis and the willingness of the patient. In terms of the clinical findings, all registered cases are divided into two broad categories: drug use without addiction syndromes and drug use with addiction syndromes. The regulation on the detection, registration, and record-keeping of the people who use drugs and other psychotropic substances envisages different scenarios for each case type (Ministerul Sanatatii al Republicii Moldova 2003). By 1 January 2009, on the right bank of the Dniester River, 8 390 people had been officially registered as drug users in the RND database. During 2008, 1 138 newly registered cases of drug use on the right bank of the Dniester River were entered into the RND database, representing an increasing number in comparison to the 2007 data (1 030 newly registered cases of drug use). The great majority of the total number of newly registered cases of drug use on the right bank of the Dniester River in 2008 was newly registered cases of drug use without addiction syndromes — 81.5 % (cannabis users in 82.7 % of cases without addiction syndromes).

The number of beneficiaries of substitution treatment was quite low until 2006 (73 covered at any point in time) because of the restrictive criteria regarding their admission. In 2007, the criteria were rationalised, which led to an increase in the number of new clients enrolled in methadone substitution treatment. By the end of 2008, 345 drug users had been enrolled at some point in time in substitution therapy with methadone (in the capital city and in the municipality of Balti only) and out of those 177 were receiving methadone treatment at the end of 2008. By the end of 2008, in the penitentiary system (5 institutions involved) 142 drug users had been involved in substitution treatment with methadone at some point; 32 of them were receiving treatment at the end of the year (Soros Foundation — Moldova 2009).

At the end of 2008, on the right bank of the Dniester River, the total number of IDU beneficiaries (8 783) of Harm Reduction Programmes (HRPs) exceeded the total number of IDUs officially registered by the health care system for drug use (3 459) in the database of the RND on the right bank of the Dniester River.

In 2009, the software for the system of unique identifier started to be implemented in NGOs providing harm reduction services.

(¹) i.e. health status examination for military service.

top of page

Drug-related infectious diseases

The diagnosis of newly registered HIV cases associated with injecting drug use may occur following both voluntary and direct recourse and as a result of compliance with the legal framework of the recommended HIV testing of registered injecting drug users twice per year. The diagnosis is established when the person undergoes 2 ELISA tests that are finally confirmed by the Western Blot test. There is a trend towards a decrease in the number of newly reported HIV cases among IDUs, mostly on both banks of the Dniester River (²). In 2008, 84 newly registered HIV cases were registered in IDUs on the left bank of the Dniester River (127 in 2007) and 51 cases (94 in 2007) were registered on the right bank of the Dniester River (Centrul National Stiintifico Practic de Medicina Preventiva 2009).

In the last two years, there has apparently been a reduction in the number of new HIV cases reported among IDUs. The slight inconsistency/time shift in this type of data — specifically those regarding the left bank of the Dniester River — is explained by the fact that the political context has affected the number of samples referred for confirmation (Western Blot test) from the left bank of the Dniester River and this has delayed the confirmation, since the only reference laboratory which confirms HIV cases is located on the right bank of the Dniester River (municipality of Chisinau).

According to the results of the HIV prevalence survey conducted in 2007 (Scutelniciuc, O. et al. 2009a), the prevalence of HIV among IDUs who use harm reduction services reached 21 %. The distribution of the prevalence of HIV by geographical location shows a disparity between sentinel sites (Table 2). The Municipality of Balti is one of the regions with a higher number of registered IDUs in comparison with other regions on the right bank of the Dniester River. The registered prevalence of HIV in IDUs from the municipality of Balti who use harm reduction services is the highest among sentinel sites in the 2007 prevalence study, confirming the results of the 2004 HIV prevalence study (36.5 %) (Bivol, S., 2004).

Prevalence of HIV, VHC, VHB, and syphilis among IDUs who are beneficiaries of harm reduction programmes was studied in 2007 on a sample of 620 persons in different regions of the Republic of Moldova. Results in total: HIV 21.0 %, HCV 42.7 %, HBV 6.8 %, Treponema pallidum antibodies 12.1 % (Scutelniciuc, O., Bivol, S., Plamadeala, D. and Slobozian, V. 2009a).

(²) Confirmation of HIV status by means of the Western Blot test is performed only in Chisinau.

top of page

Drug-related deaths

The forensic examination of dead bodies is performed according to the ‘Regulations for the forensic examination of a corpse’, approved on 24 February 1999 by the Ministry of Health. In compliance with these regulations, in the event of a drug-related death (henceforth DRD) or any suspicion of one, the expert performing the autopsy must sample the biological material required for toxicological investigations (blood, urine, portions of the viscera). Toxicological investigations of the presence of illegal drugs in the samples taken from the bodies of people who died an unnatural death are not compulsory, and this could result in cases of DRDs being overlooked. The technical capacities of the toxicological laboratory of the Forensic Medicine Centre (henceforth FMC) and of the sub-national infrastructure of the FMC make possible only a qualitative analysis of the main groups of illegal drugs. As such, it does not provide the best possible supporting data for the diagnosis of the forensic doctor. The long period between the sampling of biopsies and the receipt of the final toxicology results (3–4 months after the death) may result in the registration of the death as being from a different cause than that ultimately ascertained by the forensic doctor. The social stigma and the complexity of the legal procedures encourage the relatives of the deceased to actively hide the real cause of death in cases of drug-related deaths.

In 2008, out of 132 toxicological investigations of the biopsies sampled from corpses suspected of the presence of illegal drugs, in 10 cases the results were positive, reaching 7.5 % of the total number of cases investigated and 0.03 % of the total number of cases suspected of having suffered an unnatural death.

The number of possible DRD cases according to the FMC (subjected to toxicological investigations), the number of toxicological investigations, the total number of cases suspected of having suffered an unnatural death, and the total number of deaths investigated by the FMC are at disposal for the years 2000–08. In 2008, 3 824 of the 9 249 investigated deaths were suspected of being unnatural (3 791 out of 9 246 in 2007); 132 deaths were toxicologically investigated targeting illegal drugs (209 in 2007), with 10 positive results (13 in 2007) of toxicological investigations (Centrul de Medicina Legala, 2009).

In 2008, only 10 DRDs were added to the General Registry of Mortality with their causes attributed to one of the codes F 11.0-F 19.9, X 62.0, X 42.0, and T 40.0-T 40.9 according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10). Out of them, one case had F11.2 (Mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of opioids. Dependence syndrome), one case had F 14.1 (Mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of cocaine. Harmful use) and eight cases X 42.0 (Accidental poisoning by and exposure to narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified).

In the cross-checking of nominal data from the two sources presented above, discrepancies were found.

The data provided by the Republican Narcological Dispensary are gathered by district narcologists on the basis of lists of officially registered cases of drug use once they get such knowledge. In EU/EMCDDA terms, these data are illustrative of the ‘overall mortality of registered drug users’ in the Republic of Moldova. Statistics based on this reporting system show almost the same figures as the previous two sources (8 cases in 2008). 

Apart from the partial monitoring mechanisms reported above, no research studies on DRDs were performed in the country prior to 2008.

top of page

Treatment responses

The main service offered by the national public health care system is detoxification. This can be provided anonymously or with the disclosure of the person's name. All anonymous patients pay for their health care services. The private sector of the health care system provides detoxification only. Until 2007, private health care providers had not been contracted by the National Health Insurance Fund for the provision of treatment to drug users. Thus, if the detoxification was provided by a private health care institution, this service was paid for.

There is no monitoring system in place to gather information on detoxifications related to drug use provided in other public health care facilities and in the private sector. In 2008, there was a decrease in the number of such ‘first detoxification demand during the year’, cases in the two public health care institutions that specialised in drug treatment on the right bank of the Dniester River. 304 persons were treated in detoxification (336 in 2007), according to the Centrul National de Management in Sanatate. In the early 2000s, as a result of the deterioration of the health care system and unstable financing, detoxification was not free and access to the health care system was being reduced. Since 2004, a health insurance system has been implemented and covers detoxification for insured persons and since 2006 the Ministry of Health has covered detoxification for uninsured persons benefiting from the services of public health care institutions that specialise in drug treatment. There are no other details available on the characteristics of people seeking detoxification.

Since November 2007, a public rehabilitation centre with 60 places (30 for outpatient care and 30 for inpatient care) has been open in Chisinau. By the end of 2008, 280 beneficiaries had been enrolled in rehabilitation at some point in time. As the result of a lack of structured reporting, there is no possibility of providing more details on the outcomes of treatment. Comprehensive treatment for addiction following detoxification in residential institutions is not routinely available in the Republic of Moldova. An unknown (but insufficient in the unanimous opinion of national experts) amount of it is provided by NGOs focusing on the reintegration and re-socialisation of people freed from drug addiction.

In 2004, substitution treatment using the opiate agonist methadone was introduced in the Republic of Moldova. Using external and internal funds (³) this type of health care service is offered in free settings in Chisinau, by the RND, and in the municipality of Balti; both are public health care institutions. In the penitentiary system, substitution treatment using methadone is available in 5 prisons (out of 18 potentially eligible institutions).

(³) Human resources are paid for out of public national funds; the costs of medication (methadone) and other running costs are paid directly or indirectly by international donors, especially a Global Fund grant.

top of page

Harm reduction responses

The basic components of the Harm Reduction Strategy for IDUs in free settings in the Republic of Moldova are as follows:

• information/education/outreach about HIV and ways of preventing it in the context of high-risk practices (distribution of informational material and condoms, workshops);
• referral to medical and social services (offering medical counselling, usually for sexually transmitted infections, psychological counselling, pre- and post-HIV-test counselling);
• needle exchanges.

Altogether, at the end of 2008, six projects (⁴) were providing harm reduction services to prevent the spread of HIV among IDUs in free settings, providing, in particular, information/education/outreach, needle exchanges, and referral to medical and social services in 20 rayons; implemented by the NGO sector, funded by a Global Fund grant.

The basic components of the Harm Reduction Strategy within the framework of penitentiary institutions are as follows:

• information/education/outreach about HIV/AIDS and their prevention in the context of high-risk practices (distribution of informational materials and condoms, workshops);
• needle exchanges for IDUs.

Activities for inmates are conducted particularly within the medical services of the penitentiary institutions, with the involvement of outreach employees recruited from among the inmates. In 2008, within the framework of the implementation of the Harm Reduction Strategy, the information component was implemented with informational materials distributed and workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention organised in all 18 penitentiary institutions, while the needle exchange points functioning in seven of them were open on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week. No data are available on the number of beneficiaries of harm reduction programmes in the penitentiary system, because of the refusal of the outreach workers, who themselves are inmates, to provide such data.

top of page

Drug markets and drug-related offences

The reporting of the statistical data on crimes from the left bank of the Dniester River ceased in the early 1990s, following the Trans-Dniestrian conflict, currently frozen, that divided the country into territories on the right and left banks of the Dniester River. There is no exchange of data in terms of drug-related crimes either. The data below refer only to the drug-related crimes registered on the right bank of the Dniester River.

At the end of 2005, new modifications to the Penal Code were approved (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova, 2005). The main modifications were made to the criminal qualifications for the cultivation of plants containing drugs, which is now considered to be subject to penal punishment, whereas before it qualified as an administrative offence. In the list of substances approved at the end of January 2006, no new substances were added to the list for which penal sanctions are applied. However, these two important modifications to the legal and regulatory framework have not changed the overall trend in the number of drug-related crimes (2 103 drug-related crimes in 2008 and 2 147 drug-related crimes in 2007) (Ministerul Afacerilor Interne al Republicii Moldova, 2009). Analysis in terms of the age groups of the people arrested for drug-related crimes shows an increase in the rate of people aged 30 years old and more (60.3 % in 2008 and 48.2 % in 2007) and a decrease in the rate of those aged 18–24 years old (21.1 % in 2008 and 28.8 % in 2007) in the last four years. In 2008, the proportion of females arrested for drug-related crimes reached 27.6 % and increased in comparison to 2007 (15.4 %).

The data provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova (Ministerul Afacerilor Interne al Republicii Moldova, 2009) on the amounts of drugs seized on the territory of the right bank of the Dniester River during the period 2002–08 are presented in the table below. The reporting was carried out on paper and the entering of data into electronic databases and further processing generated difficulties. This fact reduces the quality of the data and of the inferences to be drawn from them.

An important decrease in the amounts of poppy straw and acetylated opium seized was registered during 2008, compared to 2007. Overall, the seizures of drugs, which were mostly produced domestically, decreased significantly during 2008. On the other hand, the amount of non-local drugs increased dramatically, as can be seen in the case of heroin, cocaine and LSD, the amounts of which are the biggest ever seized.

Table 3: Amount of drugs seized, Republic of Moldova (right bank of the Dniester River), 2007–08 (Ministerul Afacerilor Interne al Republicii Moldova. 2009)

top of page

National drug laws

Simple drug use is not a crime in the Republic of Moldova, but it is an administrative offence according to Article 85 of the Administrative Offences Code passed in 2008. The innovations of the new Administrative Offences Code are the introduction of a legal entity’s liability and the application of community service as a sanction for a drug-related administrative offence (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova, 2008). At the same time, the new code excludes the application of arrest for personal drug use. Thus, the illegal purchase or possession of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in small amounts (⁵) without the purpose of distribution, as well as their consumption without a medical prescription are sanctioned with a fine of up to three conventional units (⁶) or with community service of up to 40 hours.

The passing by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova of the Law No 277-XVI, dated 4 November 2005, on the amendment of the Administrative Contraventions Code, of the Penal Code of the Republic of Moldova and of the Penal Procedure Code of the Republic of Moldova (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova, 2005) increases the fines for:

• the illegal (unauthorised) cultivation of plants that contain drugs or psychotropic substances, in small amounts and without the purpose of distribution;
• the unauthorised production, preparation, processing, experimenting, purchasing, storing, delivery, transportation, distribution, or carrying out of any other operations with precursors;
• defines the penal sanctions for the large-scale illegal (unauthorised) cultivation of plants that contain drugs or psychotropic substances, the illegal circulation of precursors with the purpose of producing or processing drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues, and the illegal circulation of materials and equipment designed for the production or processing of drugs, psychotropic substances, or their analogues.

Previously, they were considered administrative offences.

According to the amendments made to the Penal Code in 2008 (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova 2009a), the punishments for drug-related crimes were reduced, with, depending on the case, the application of alternatives to imprisonment, such as community service, being promoted and increased.

Following the Law of the Republic of Moldova No 277-XVI, dated 4 November 2005, the amount of every type of drug that serves as a basis for its possession being considered drug-related crime or a drug-related administrative offence has been defined by the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No 79, dated 23 January 2006, On the approval of the list of drugs, psychotropic substances, and plants that contain these substances, identified in trafficking, and their amounts (Guvernul Republicii Moldova, 2005b). The 2008 amendments to the list are characterised by an increase in the minimum amounts of drugs rendering the possessor liable to penal sanctions. Aprophen (⁷) and phenazepam (⁸) have been added in this list in 2008.

Law No 382-XIV of 6 May 1999, on the circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova 1999) is the main piece of legislation promoting the state drug policy. This law sets up the institutional framework by establishing the Interdepartmental Commission for Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking Control and the Permanent Committee on Drugs Control and defining their competences; it regulates the circulation (import, export, transit, use, deposit, destruction, etc.) of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, and regulates the authorisation of the circulation of these substances. New amendments to the law were passed in 2008 (Parlamentul Republicii Moldova, 2009b).

(⁵) In compliance with the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No. 79, dated January 23, 2006, On the approval of the list of drugs, psychotropic substances, and plants that contain these substances, identified in the trafficking, and their amounts.

(⁶) One conventional unit is equal to MDL 20 or EUR 1.3 (the medium exchange rate in 2008 was EUR 1 = MDL 15.2916), http://bnm.md/md/medium_exchange_rates

(⁷) Muscarinic antagonist.

(⁸) Benzodiazepine drug.

top of page

National drug strategy

The year 2008 was marked by the initiation of the development of a national drug strategy in line with European standards and good practices. National measures aimed at fighting and preventing illegal drug use and trafficking are stipulated in the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No 166, dated 15 February 2007, on the approval of the measures of fighting drug addiction and drug trafficking for the years 2007–09 (Guvernul Republicii Moldova, 2007). This enactment assigns the duties of the central and local public authorities for the fulfilment of this governmental resolution. The Plan of Measures envisages measures both for fighting drug trafficking and for preventing illegal drug use.

top of page

Coordination mechanism in the field of drugs

The Government of the Republic of Moldova is in charge of the development and consolidation of the national policy of fighting illegal drug use and trafficking. The Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No 585, dated 19 June 2000, on the establishment of the Interdepartmental Commission for Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking Control (Guvernul Republicii Moldova, 2000), lays down the operation and the nominal membership of the Commission. The nominal membership of the Commission was laid down by the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No 1318, dated 8 October 2002 (Guvernul Republicii Moldova, 2002), on the nominal membership of the Interdepartmental Commission for Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking Control. The members of the Commission are representatives of all ministries and central authorities whose activity is related to the prevention and tackling of illegal drug use and trafficking. The approach to fighting drug trafficking in the Republic of Moldova is an inter-institutional one. The membership of the central-level institutional part of the Commission in 2008 is as follows: Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education and Youth; Ministry of Social Protection, Family, and Children; Ministry of Local Public Administration; Customs Service; Border Service; Information and Security Service; Ministry of Justice, Department of Penitentiary Institutions; Pharmaceutical Inspection Department, Medications Agency; General Prosecutor’s Office;

The decisions of the Commission de jure bear a recommendatory character and are not mandatory.

top of page

References

Bivol, S. (2004), ‘HIV/AIDS Behavioral Survelliance Survey 2004, Injecting Drug Users, Commercial Sex Workers, Inmates Chisinau’.

Centrul de Medicina Legala (2009), ‘Nota informativa pentru anul 2008’, unpublished work.

Centrul National de Management in Sanatate (2009), Sanatatea Publica in Moldova Anul 2008, Chisinau, electronic citation.

Centrul National Stiintifico Practic de Medicina Preventiva, C. S. (2009), Informative Bulletin on the HIV Infection Situation in the Republic of Moldova in 2008, 14.07.2010, electronic citation.

Dispensarul Republican de Narcologie (2009), ‘Nota informativa pentru anul 2008’, unpublished work.

EMCDDA (2002), Handbook for surveys on drug use among the general population, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon.

Godinho, Joanna (2003), ‘Moldova AIDS Control Project’, Washington DC.

Guvernul Republicii Moldova. Hotarire Nr. 585 din 19.06.2000 cu privire la instituirea Comisiei Interdepartamentale de Combatere a Narcomaniei si Narcobusinessului. 29-6-2000. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 75-76 art 672. 20-3-2009, electronic citation.

Guvernul Republicii Moldova. Hotarire Nr. 1318 din 08.10.2002 cu privire la componenta nominala a Comisiei Interdepartamentale de Combatere a Narcomaniei si Narcobusinessului.17-10-2002. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 142 art 1452. 20-3-2009, electronic citation.

Guvernul Republicii Moldova. Hotarire Nr. 166 din 15.02.2005 cu privire la aprobarea Masurilor de combatere a narcomaniei si narcobusinessului in anii 2005-2006. 21-3-2005a. Monitorul Oficial Nr.042 art 294. 20-3-2009a, electronic citation.

Guvernul Republicii Moldova 2005b. Hotarirea Guvernului Republicii Moldova nr. 166 din 15.02. 2005 Cu privire la aprobarea Masurilor de Combatere a Narcomaniei si Narcobusinessului in anii 2005 - 2006. Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, 42-45/294.

Guvernul Republicii Moldova 2007. Hotarirea Guvernului Republicii Moldova nr. 166 din din 15 februarie 2007 Cu privire la aprobarea Masurilor de Combatere a Narcomaniei si Narcobusinessului pentru anii 2007–09. Monitorul Oficial al Republicii Moldova, 42-45/294.

Ministerul Afacerilor Interne al Republicii Moldova, D. A. (2009), ‘Situatia privind infractionalitatea prin trafic de droguri pentru anul 2008’, unpublished work.

Ministerul Sanatatii al Republicii Moldova. Ordinul Ministerului Sanatatii nr. 260 din data de 3 septembrie 2003. 2003, unpublished work.

National Bureau of Statistics. Populatia si structura demografica. electronic citation.

National Bureau of Statistics (2009), ‘The structure of permanently resident population of the Republic of Moldova by sex and age for January 1st 2008 as compared to January 1st 2007’, 20-3-2009, online source.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. Lege Nr. 382 din 06.05.1999 cu privire la circulatia substantelor narcotice si psihotrope si a precursorilor. 15-7-1999. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 073. 20-3-2009, electronic citation.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. Lege Nr. 713 din 06.12.2001 privind controlul si prevenirea consumului abuziv de alcool, consumului ilicit de droguri si de alte substante psihotrope. 14-3-2002. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 36-38 art 208. 20-3-2009, electronic citation.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. Lege Nr. 277 - XVI din 04.11.2005 pentru modificarea si completarea Codului cu privire la contraventiile administrative, a Codului penal al Republicii Moldova si a Codului de procedura penala al Republicii Moldova. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 161-163 art 795, electronic citation.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. COD Nr.218 din 24.10.2008 Codul Contraventional al Republicii Moldova. 24-10-2008. Monitorul Oficial Nr.3-6 art 15. 22-11-2009, electronic citation.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. Cod Nr. 985 din 18.04.2002 Codul Penal al Republicii Moldova. 14-4-2009a. Monitorul Oficial Nr. 72-74 art Nr : 195, electronic citation.

Parlamentul Republicii Moldova. Lege pentru modificarea si completarea Legii nr.713-XV din 6 decembrie 2001 privind controlul si prevenirea consumului abuziv de alcool, consumului ilicit de droguri si de alte substante psihotrope. 20-3-2009b, electronic citation.

Scutelniciuc, O., Bivol, S., Plamadeala, D. and Slobozian, V. (2009), ‘Behavioral Surveillance Survey among IDUs who are beneficiaries of Harm Reduction Programs’, 2009a, unpublished work.

Scutelniciuc, O., Condrat, I. and Plamadeala, D. (2009), ‘European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Republic of Moldova’, 2009b, unpublished work.

Scutelniciuc, O., Condrat, I. and Plamadeala, D.(2009), ‘General Population Survey targeting psychotropic substances and related attitudes’, 2009c, unpublished work.

Soros Foundation — Moldova. Harm Reduction Program, Activity report. HIV/AIDS prevention among vulnerable groups. HIV/AIDS control and prevention program financed by GOVMD/GFATM/WB. 2009, unpublished work.

top of page