Hungarian Drug Strategy: Punitive and Undemocratic (2024)

FAQs

What are the drug laws in Hungary? ›

Hungary has some of the harshest drug laws in the European Union: possession of illicit substances in small amounts (without any differentiation) is a crime punishable with two years' imprisonment. Recent developments are leading advocates to believe that the situation on the ground is likely to get much worse.

On the basis of the above mentioned official findings, it can be said, that in Hungary there are about 200 thousand persons (about 2 per cent of the total population) more or less addicted to drug consumption, including also the occasional consumers.

Cocaine is mainly transported via land from Spain or the Netherlands, or directly imported via air from South America. Herbal cannabis is Hungary's most commonly used illicit narcotic generally, and herbal cannabis and resin are the most seized drugs.

Budapest Laws about Smoking

We have a complete ban on smoking in public indoor areas, on and around public transportation, and around playgrounds. This means it is strictly forbidden to smoke in a tram or bus stop while you are waiting or walking through an underground underpass with your cigarette lit.

Laws. It has been forbidden to smoke in 5 meter radius from the entrance of primary schools, secondary schools, universities, dormitories and other higher education institutions. Furthermore, it is not allowed to smoke in public transport, pubs, bars, restaurants and in national institutions.

These staggering numbers are well above most international peer countries. Analysis of the latest publicly available data from each country finds that in 2020, the U.S. had the highest unadjusted rate of drug overdose deaths — 277 lives lost per million residents.

In Hungary, education and long-term disease affected alcohol consumption in both sexes, while age and employment were additional factors among women. In both countries for both sexes, younger age, more significantly than primary education and good health, was associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol consumption.

There is zero tolerance in Hungary, which means that the possession, use, exchange, manufacture or selling of illegal drugs (including marihuana cigarettes/“weed”) in Hungary is prohibited by Criminal Law! Violations are dealt with under the direction of the Police.

What is the most abused drug in the Western world? ›

Epidemiology. Cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked and abused illicit drug. Half of all drug seizures worldwide are cannabis seizures.

Never 'cheers' with beer

In Hungary people don't clink beer glasses. Legend has it, that when Hungary's 1848 revolution against the Habsburgs was defeated, the Austrians celebrated in Vienna by toasting and clinking their beer glasses. Hungarians vowed not to cheers with beer for 150 years.

Smoking in all public places in Bhutan became illegal on 22 February 2005. It thus became the first nation in the world to outlaw this practice outright. The Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan was enacted by parliament on 16 June 2010.

The lowest minimum age is 14 years, set in seven Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Portugal. The highest is set at 18 years – in Malta. About half of the Member States apply different age limits to sexual acts between young persons.

One of the World's strictest anti-tobacco laws has been imposed in Mexico, setting in force a total ban on smoking in public places, including hotels, beaches and parks. The new law, which is part of the country's General Law for Tobacco Control reform, came into force on Sunday.

The basic rule is that you can only smoke outside a distance of 5 meters from the entrance. Where this cannot be solved, it can be ignited within this distance near the entrance. The law makes only a few exceptions where there may be a smoking area indoors.

Daily percentage of smokers among persons aged 15 and over

The countries that smoke the most in the EU are Bulgaria, with 28.2 per cent of the population consuming tobacco daily, then Turkey (27.3 per cent), Greece (27.2 per cent), Hungary (25.8 per cent) and Latvia (24.9 per cent).

According to sources like National Public Radio (NPR), the show is “mostly true.” The show's producers fictionalized some of the characters to reflect the stories of several actual people who did.

What is OxyContin? OxyContin, a trade name for the narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, is a painkiller available in the United States only by prescription.

The UK has the highest consumption rate of prescription opioids for pain management per capita in the world, despite declining rates globally, according to new research published by The Lancet EClinicalMedicine.

What is the number 1 most alcoholic country? ›

Looking at the amount of alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older, the Seychelles is in first place with around 20.5 litres of alcohol drunk per person per year, according to Our World in Data; studies show that young male peer groups primarily drink high amounts of alcohol in the Seychelles.

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) tend to abuse substances more than other racial demographics, and also suffer from more mental health concerns than the general American population.

Belarus not only consumed the greatest average number of liters of pure alcohol per capita, but it was also among the countries with the most years of life lost due to this annual alcohol consumption (14.4 liters).

Hungary fined by FIFA and handed stadium ban for racist behaviour from supporters against England.

Pedestrians have the right of way on zebra/pedestrian crossings in Hungary and generally, vehicles will give way to you. As always though, exercise caution! As a side note, jaywalking is illegal in Hungary, so keep to the crossings.

It's important to understand that some U.S. prescriptions are actually considered illegal narcotics in Europe, such as Adderall and other stimulant drugs used to treat ADHD/ADD. Even if your U.S. doctor prescribed these medications legally to you in the U.S., that won't fly in Europe.

Many Americans and their doctors feel that every symptom or even a hint of a disease requires a drug to treat it. As sad as that sounds, this is the culture we live in. Even health insurance companies find prescriptions the easiest and least expensive way to address a patient's health.

According to a 2021 study by the RAND Corporation, a non-profit global policy think tank, prices of prescription drugs in the U.S. are 2.4 times higher than the average prices of nine other nations (Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).

The United States makes up 4.4% of the world's population, and consumes over 80% of the world's opioids.

The most common prescription medications include lisinopril, levothyroxine, and atorvastatin. The most common medications doctors prescribe in the United States reflect the conditions they diagnose most often, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

What is the #1 prescribed drug in the US? ›

Humira was the top medicine in the United States based on sales in 2021, generating 17.3 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. The branded drug – used to treat, for example, arthritis – has topped revenue rankings for a number of years and made around 7.5 billion U.S. dollars more than second ranked Keytruda.

Penicillin (1942)

It is estimated that Penicillin has saved between 80 million and 200 million lives and without its discovery and implementation, 75% of people today would not be alive because their ancestors would have succumbed to infection.

The Caribbean region is a major transit area for illicit drugs, primarily cocaine.

Opioids (such as OxyContin and Vicodin), central nervous system depressants (such as Xanax and Valium), and stimulants (such as Concerta and Adderall) are the most commonly abused prescription drugs.

Smoking is strictly forbidden in all public facilities. But not only there. A distance of 5 meters from the entrance must also be maintained.

In Hungary, drinking alcohol in public is generally not illegal, but some municipalities have local laws banning public drinking with fines up to 150 000 Ft.

In the Netherlands, it is against the law to possess, sell or produce drugs. However, the Netherlands tolerates the sale of soft drugs in 'coffee shops'. A coffee shop is an establishment where cannabis is sold subject to certain strict conditions, but no alcoholic drinks are sold or consumed.

You cannot take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries. There are some exceptions for medical reasons, for example certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food required for medical reasons. Check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.

Before you go, you need to reach out to both the US Department of State and the embassy of the country you plan to visit if you intend to take your ADHD medication with you. “Travelers should not assume that medications approved in the US are approved in another country,” the State Department advises.

What is the European equivalent of Adderall? ›

Methylphenidate has been available since the 1950s, and has become widely used for ADHD since the 1990s. It is available in all EU Member States as various trade names including Ritalin, Concerta, Equasym, Medikinet and Rubifen.

Hungarian law treats e-liquid with nicotine as a tobacco product, and that means you can only buy e-liquid with nicotine in stores that sell tobacco. The tobacco industry is a state-controlled monopoly in Hungary, and e-liquid with nicotine is only available from an official tobacco shop called a Nemzeti Dohánybolt.

Hungary. Unless you want to be considered offensive, don't clink your glass during a toast. The rule is supposedly linked to the 1849 executions of Hungary's 13 Martyrs of Arad. Legend has it a group of Austrian generals celebrated by clinking their beer glasses as the Hungarian revolutionaries perished.

Pedestrians have the right of way on zebra/pedestrian crossings in Hungary and generally, vehicles will give way to you. As always though, exercise caution! As a side note, jaywalking is illegal in Hungary, so keep to the crossings.

Substance abuse arose as a problem among young people in the mid 1960s. Since that time, Norway has conducted a restrictive drug policy. Possession, use and dealing drugs are prohibited. Illegal import and deal- ing can, in the most serious cases, carry the strongest penalties of the law.

Soft drugs as cannabis in all its forms (weed, hashish, hash oil) and hallucinogenic mushrooms (so called magic mushrooms or paddos – from Dutch: paddestoel - mushroom) are legal under condition of so called "personal use".

Space cake and cannabis edibles in Amsterdam.

Dutch Coffeeshops are just not allowed to sell these. But cannabis infused space cake and brownies are allowed. These contain THC and will get you high, though it can take 1-2 hours before you feel the effects.