According to the mayor and a former MP, increasingly aggressive, trance-like drug users are becoming more dangerous due to a new drug in Budapest, yet the crisis cannot be resolved through policing alone. András Pikó and András Jámbor are urging the government to act on the worsening drug situation, arguing that only a comprehensive strengthening of the social and healthcare systems can deliver results. Pikó warns that the city is nearing a state of emergency.
A new drug? Trouble spreads to previously safe districts
András Pikó, mayor of Józsefváros, and András Jámbor, the district’s former Member of Parliament, have warned of deteriorating public safety and a deepening drug crisis. In their view, the problem is no longer confined to isolated neighbourhoods but has become a city-wide emergency affecting the whole of Budapest—one that local authorities cannot tackle alone, Szeretlek Magyarország wrote.
Pikó said individuals under the influence of drugs are increasingly posing a threat to residents, with the issue now reaching areas once considered safe. Aggressive, zombie-like addicts have reportedly appeared in broken-into flats, playgrounds and other communal spaces. The mayor stressed that the local council has taken a series of measures to improve the situation, including expanding its public enforcement officers, paying for additional police support, and operating an extensive CCTV network.
These measures, however, are insufficient on their own. He argues that restoring public safety will require a significant increase in government funding for policing. The district leadership has therefore appealed for immediate assistance from Budapest’s newly appointed police chief. Alongside Tamás Soproni, mayor of Terézváros, they are also proposing the introduction of a so-called “Budapest allowance” for officers.
Residents afraid to go home
The mayor said it is time to restart a meaningful public dialogue on safety, arguing that political disputes in recent years have too often obstructed genuine solutions while conditions have steadily worsened. In the short term, he said, more police officers, prisons and prison staff are needed, while in the longer term broader social policy interventions must not be neglected.
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András Jámbor painted an equally stark picture. He said complaints from residents are rising both across Budapest and in the countryside, with many people now afraid to return home in certain areas. In his view, the decline in public safety is closely linked to the erosion of the social care system and failures in addressing drug addiction.
The former MP also highlighted that many of the most severe substance users suffer from concurrent psychiatric conditions. At present, he said, there is no state institution capable of treating both problems simultaneously: psychiatric patients are often not admitted to rehabilitation facilities, while those with addiction issues frequently receive no psychiatric care. As a result, police intervention tends to be only temporary, offering no lasting solution.
They argue that the state must simultaneously reinforce law enforcement, healthcare and social services if Budapest’s drug crisis and public safety are to see meaningful improvement.
Pikó attributes the current situation to what he described as the failures of the Orbán governments over the past 16 years, but says responsibility for resolving it will fall to a future Tisza-led government.
Public drug use on the rise
Kriszta Bódis, the district’s current MP from the Tisza party, said drug use is beginning to reach uncontrollable levels, requiring immediate intervention. She too blamed the Orbán governments, according to ATV. Bódis said distribution networks are operating within the district and that drug use in public spaces is becoming increasingly widespread.
“We often see people lying in various places, either drunk or apparently under the influence of drugs, shouting. When walking on the grass, we have to watch what our dogs step in, and sometimes we see discarded bottles and syringes,” a local resident told ATV News.
Sándor Bajzáth, an addiction consultant, said today’s substances are more dangerous because their composition is unknown. Drug use, he added, is driven by poverty—something that cannot be solved through policing alone.
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