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Following a serious accident in the village of 2 Mai, in which two young people died and three others were injured, it was discovered that the driver, Vlad Pascu, had consumed drugs and tried to flee the scene. The accident sparked a wide public and political debate in Romania, a country with a high mortality rate in road accidents. The tragedy triggered discussions among the public on various topics such as the efficiency of police actions, the administration of justice, and drug use among young people. Ignoring the diversity of these concerns, politicians chose to emphasize issues related to drug trafficking and consumption, adopting repressive measures aimed at increasing penalties for high-risk drug traffickers and establishing a national registry of drug traffickers. Concurrently, a populist language was adopted, highlighting the concern for a drug-free future for "children and young people." All of this occurred in the absence of any debate regarding the effectiveness of anti-drug policies, the root causes of drug-related problems, or the limited opportunities for those wishing to abandon drug use.
Keywords: Penal populism, Vlad Pascu, punishment, offender registry
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