Drug use among adult Czechs on rise - report

While one-fifth of adults admitted that they used hemp at least once in 2004 it was one-third last year. A year-on-year growth in the number of users of opiates and methamphetamine (pervitine) was also registered last year.

The report revealed that a large majority of drug addicts use drugs intravenously.

The number of new cases of HIV-infected persons among intravenous drug users has also grown in the past two years.

According to the annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) published recently, young Czechs continue to be the first among European countries in use of cannabis and ecstasy.

The report says that 44 percent of young Czechs under 24 have used cannabis at least once and 28 percent of them smoked marijuana in the past months.

Last year, two special surveys were conducted in the Czech Republic on respondents aged 15-64 which provided different results.

According to the first survey, 37 percent of respondents said they used drug at least once in their life. This includes 34 percent of people who used cannabis and 17 percent who used other drugs than marijuana.

According to the second survey, 15 percent of Czechs used drugs at least once, 15 percent used cannabis and 4 percent used other drugs.

Despite the differences both surveys showed that the number of people who have drug use experience is growing in the Czech Republic and the greatest growth has been registered in the use of cannabis, the report says.

According to estimates, some 57,000 Czechs aged 15-64, which is 0.8 percent of people of this age category, smoke marijuana daily or almost daily.

An estimated number of problematic drug users or people who have been using drugs intravenously regularly and for a long time, grew to 32,500 last year. Some 21,000 of them use pervitine and 11,300 use opiates (heroin).

It is estimated that 31,000 drug addicts use drugs intravenously.

The number of HIV-infected persons among injecting drug users is still relatively low - deep below 1 percent. HIV infection was uncovered last year in 13 injecting drug users.

However, compared to 2006, the number of new cases of HIV-infected among intravenous drug addicts grew in the following two years.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz