When it comes to drug issues, one immediately thinks of Mexico or Afghanistan. However, Central European region is not issue-free in this respect. Many of the drug-related problems in the region, such as heavy cannabis use, are long-standing, whereas others, such as trade in new psychoactive substances, are relatively new.

Probably the most troubling issue is the methamphetamine use and trafficking. Czech Republic and Slovakia belong to the biggest producers of methamphetamine. The drug is then imported to neighbouring countries, predominantly to Germany. As Czech methamphetamine is quite cheap for German addicts, the drug trade on German-Czech border is on the rise. The issue got its regional scope after 2009, when restrictions on the over-the-counter medication containing pseudoephedrine used for methamphetamine production were introduced in the Czech Republic. Producers had to look elsewhere and therefore there has been an increase in illicit trade in so-called drug precursors in the recent years.

New psychoactive substances are another problem. They have become more popular in recent years as they are cheap and easily available for users. There are hundreds of them and new substances are introduced on a regular basis. Therefore it is difficult to restrict them and therefore they are not under international control.

How to stop the blooming regional methamphetamine trade? What to do about online sale in dangerous new psychoactive substances that cause severe health problems? Visegrad group+ should focus on these problems and try to come up with a viable solution.