Police Warn Of New Drug Danger In Hungary

Budapest, May 14 (MTI) – A new drug which is popular among youth and extremely damaging to health has arrived in Hungary — it is thought from China — a police spokesperson said today.

The white powder contains a psychoactive synthetic cannabinoid substance, and since April ten youngsters have ended up in hospital with breathing problems and after falling unconscious, said Viktoria Kovacs of the national police headquarters.

The powder is usually dissolved in acetone, and then herbs are soaked in the substance before being smoked in the form of a cigarette.

On Tuesday two youths in a Budapest school were taken ill after inhaling only a couple of times, the spokeswoman said. Police have launched legal proceedings against ten people suspected of distributing the drug. At the same time, the authorities are cooperating with international partners with a view to blocking the substance from entering the country.