Hungarian herbal and crystal consumption at the world’s forefront

Global Drug Survey (GDS) is the world’s biggest drug survey. More than 100 thousand young people participated in the research worldwide, and it was carried out for the second time in Hungary. The new data also show how the new synthetic drugs, herbal and crystal came up in Hungary. Now, the country is at the world’s forefront. Alcohol consumption is also a serious problem. The government promised a comprehensive alcohol strategy, but nothing was made, 444.hu said.

The results of the survey show Hungary is the second among fifty countries at the consumption of herbal, the synthetic cannabis.

GDS was founded by Dr. Adam Winstock, an English psychiatrist. The research was conducted by Zsolt Demetrovics, Professor of the Psychology Institute of ELTE and Barbara Mervo, doctoral candidate of the Doctoral School of Psychology. 102 thousand people of 50 countries filled the online questionnaire, and they had to answer questions about drug use. It’s been the biggest survey of this kind so far.

21.9% of the Hungarian respondents have tried herbal, their rate has increased by 5% in a year. Most of them know the legally-available synthetic drugs aren’t safer than illegal drugs like marijuana, but they choose herbal/crystal because it’s much cheaper and it’s easier to buy since its legal status. Actually, these new drugs are the most dangerous.

It’s clear that herbal (3.5%) and crystal (2.2%) take people to the hospital most likely. The regular users’ situation is even worse, every 8^th of them go to the hospital.