The drug-use situation in the Czech Republic

This article reports on a rapid assessment conducted in the Czech Republic during the second half of 1995. The main aim of the assessment was to describe patterns of illicit drug use, particularly in the capital, Prague. A Rapid Assessment Board was established to oversee the study, and both secondary and original data were collected from a range of sources. Illicit drug use was found to have increased throughout the country in the preceding five years, with amphetamines being the most popular substance. Polydrug use is common. There has been an increase in the use of the so-called "dance drugs", especially lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), among younger people, and heroin, especially in the main urban areas. Injecting is on the increase, too. There is an urgent need to expand both fixed-site and community-based services.