The drug market continues to change rapidly, the consumption levels of both heroin and cocaine stabilized, but simultaneously the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and the abuse of prescription drugs rose significantly in our region. Hungary was among the first EU Member States to introduce legislation to regulate NPS. In Hungary recent control regulations allowed the law enforcement authorities to seize these harmful substances, and step up against their illicit trafficking. We welcome that there is an ongoing process of establishing a new EU regulation on NPS, which would enable a common EU response to tackle the challenges posed by NPS. The sharing of best practices is key and Hungary is happy to offer its experience in tackling NPS. Read paper
Károly Dán is the Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations, Vienna and the Second Vice-Chairperson of the UNGASS 2016 Board.
This paper was prepared for the EU-LAC Foundation Newsletter on "The Drug World Problem" of March 2016.