By Tolula Dada

Can’t a nice girl stroll through Wenceslas Square after dark without being offered drugs? Or enjoy a night out without walking through the fog of someone's spliff? A recent EU report identifies cannabis as Europe's most popular drug, naming the Czech Republic as one of the countries in which it is most prevalent. Although cannabis use has fallen among teenagers, cocaine is increasingly popular with young adults.

In contrast to these general trends, cannabis and hard drugs use has actually fallen in Germany, whereas “soft drugs” like alcohol and prescription medicines remain a persistent problem. A 2003 report by the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg found that 90% of German euros were contaminated with cocaine.

Intravenous drug use remains a huge problem in Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic States. AVERT, an international AIDS charity, reports that around 2 million Russians are intravenous drug users. The strict laws against possession of needles and syringes forces addicts to share. Reports in Russia even suggest that refusing to share needles can be perceived as rudeness.

Pervitin, a.k.a “Pico,” is a form of methamphetamine widely used among addicts in CZ, Slovakia, and, increasingly, Hungary. Methamphetamines were originally developed in WWII by the Nazis to help pilots stay awake. Pervitin can be made easily using over-the-counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, the substance from which Pico is derived.

While this drug has been a problem specific to CZ since the 1970s, recent UN reports name Lithuania, Moldova and Slovakia as other production centers. Pico is less-popular among recreational drugs users. As one clubber reported, "Pico is an anti-social drug, it just messes you up. MDMA is better, although it is more expensive, it’s a more social drug." A drug dealer in a popular Prague nightclub agreed, stating “weed, coke and pills” are in highest demand.

While there are no official statistics on solvent abuse (because glue-sniffing is, like, so 1980s) it is still rife among the street children of Romania and Bulgaria. In Romania, children use rags to “huff” Aurolac, a cheap, toxic paint that leaves their faces streaked silver.

Some believe that criminalizing drugs is an infringement of rights, and the biological imperative to “get smashed” has existed for centuries. While decriminalisation may make drugs safer, cut the risk of HIV and other infections, and even encourage more people to seek treatment, it could have the same effect as the relaxation of cannabis laws - increasing the number of drug users. Because these days, smoking a spliff is considered no more socially unacceptable than smoking a cigarette, and drug dealers are no longer scum, they’re just friends providing a service.

Average user rating

   (0 vote)