Legal Status of Phytocannabinoids and Synthetic Cannabinoids

In Romania, cannabis is regulated by two laws: Law 143 of July 26, 2000, on preventing and combating drug trafficking and illicit consumption, republished in the Official Gazette nr. 163 of 6 March 2014 and Law 339 of 29 November 2005 on the legal regime of plants, narcotic and psychotropic substances and preparations published in the Official Gazette no. 1095 of 5 December 2005. This Law establishes the legal regime regarding the cultivation, production, manufacture, storage, trade, distribution, transport, possession, offering, transmission, brokering, acquisition, use and transit through the national territory of spontaneous or cultivated plants, substances and preparations referred to in Tables I, II and III of the Annex which forms an integral part of this Law. The substances referred to in Tables II and III of the Annex and their preparations shall, when used for medical purposes, be subject to other provisions applicable to substances and preparations for human or veterinary use, in so far as they do not conflict with this Directive. However, from the interpretation of the legislation currently in force, in our country, the species of Cannabis sativa and those that are cultivated for medicinal purposes remain unregulated. The legal status of synthetic cannabinoids varies depending on the type and composition of the substance, applicable European and national legislation, and control measures taken by authorities. For the study, were used Romanian laws and the main Regulations of the EU, Germany and other European countries, some online newsletters, as well as recent articles published in MDPI/PubMed open access journals were analyzed.