There are as many as 125 000 cannabis smokers in the Czech Republic, while sedatives and sleeping pills are abused by around 900 000 people. The largest number of drug users is estimated to be in Prague (16 600), the Ustka region (6700) and the Moravian-Silesian region (4100).

Since 2012, when the percentage of cannabis users in the general population was 2.7 per cent, there has been an increase of 1.7 percentage points. When converted to the adult population, the number of cannabis users can be estimated at 125,000. - reads the report.

Reducing the number of addicts is a priority

Among sedatives and sleeping pills, alprazolam and zolpidem are the most commonly used in the Czech Republic. The former drug is abused by around 270,000 people and the latter by 190,000. The government's Drug Policy Coordination Council has approved a national strategy for the prevention and harm reduction of addictive behaviour for the next eight years.

The document, which was adopted, aims to strengthen prevention, create high-quality addiction offices, as well as regulate the drug market and focus on drugs containing psychoactive substances, cannabis and cannabinoids.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has made the fight against drugs a priority. He was the first Prime Minister to visit a place where addicts and their families are helped.

Cannabis is not the main problem?

Jindřich Vobořil, who was the national drug coordinator from 2010 to July 2018, considers the decrease in the number of heroin users as a significant success in the fight against drugs. From 2008 to 2015, the number of users of the substance fell from 12,000 to 3,000.

However, Vobořil criticised the government's strategy. According to him, cannabis belongs to a different category of drugs. Studies around the world say that people who regularly smoke cannabis do not switch to anything else and are less likely to become addicted to alcohol. - voboril said. He added that alcohol is a bigger problem, as in the Czech Republic alone between 400,000 and 500,000 people regularly consume alcohol and around 100,000 are addicted to it. Vobořil believes that the economic crisis and increased unemployment may be contributing to the increase in drug addiction.

Cannabis use is already legal in many places such as Colorado, California, Washington (USA), Canada and the Netherlands. A law that would legalise the use and cultivation of cannabis for personal use is being promoted by some circles in the Czech Republic. However, the law on cannabis in our southern neighbours is more liberal, as possession of a small amount of 10 grams for personal use is treated as an offence for which a fine of up to PLN 2 000 may be obtained. In Poland, however, the same offence may be punishable by imprisonment of up to three years.