ZAGREB, February 15, 2019 – At least 20.3% of respondents have used illegal drugs at least once in their life, and the most common illegal drug in Croatia is cannabis, according to findings of a study which were discussed in parliament on Friday during a debate on a report on the implementation of the national strategy for the prevention of the use of illegal drugs in 2017.
“In 2017, a total of 7,157 persons were treated for drug abuse, in the healthcare system, a slight rise of 0.7% compared to 2016,” said Health Ministry State Secretary Tomislav Dulibić who presented the findings of the study and the report.
Of those 7,157 treated persons, 80% of them used opiates, and non-opiate addiction covered 1,384 patients, which was 20% rise, he said.
During the debate, lawmaker Ines Strenja of the MOST party warned that over 200,000 people had problems in connection with the use of alcohol, and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that about a hundred associations for rehabilitated alcoholics had been shut down.
She also warned about the appearance of 51 new psychoactive substances in the European Union, whereas in Croatia 21 smart shops were still operating.
Strenja also pointed out that Croatia was still spending more on rehabilitation than on prevention of alcohol abuse.
In terms of the alcohol consumption, Croatia ranks almost at the top of European countries with 12.8 litres of pure alcohol per capita annually, she said.
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP, Ivan Ćelić, said that as long as the HDZ government was in power, there would be no legalisation of cannabis for recreational purposes.
More news on the health issues in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.
