Country overview: Hungary
- Situation summary
- Data sheet
- Barometer
Contents
- Drug use among the general population and young people
- Prevention
- Problem drug use
- Treatment demand
- Drug-related infectious diseases
- Drug-related deaths
- Treatment responses
- Harm reduction responses
- Drug markets and drug-related offences
- National drug laws
- National drug strategy
- Coordination mechanism in the field of drugs
- Drug-related research
| Year | Hungary | EU (27 countries) | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2010 | 10 014 324 | 501 105 661 p | Eurostat | |
| Population by age classes | 15–24 | 2010 | 12.5 % | 12.1 % p | Eurostat |
| 25–49 | 35.8 % | 35.8 % p | |||
| 50–64 | 20.3 % | 19.1 % p | |||
| GDP per capita in PPS (Purchasing Power Standards) 1 | 2009 | 65 | 100 | Eurostat | |
| Total expenditure on social protection (% of GDP) 2 | 2008 | 22.7 % | 26.4 % p | Eurostat | |
| Unemployment rate 3 | 2010 | 11.2 % | 9.6 % | Eurostat | |
| Unemployment rate of population aged under 25 years | 2010 | 26.6 % | 20.9 % | Eurostat | |
| Prison population rate (per 100 000 of national population) 4 | 2009 | 164.1 | Council of Europe, SPACE I-2009 | ||
| At risk of poverty rate 5 | 2009 | 12.4 % | 16.3 % | SILC | |
p Eurostat provisional value.
1 Gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of economic activity. It is defined as the value of all goods and services produced less the value of any goods or services used in their creation. The volume index of GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) is expressed in relation to the European Union (EU-27) average set to equal 100. If the index of a country is higher than 100, this country's level of GDP per head is higher than the EU average and vice versa.
2 Expenditure on social protection contains: benefits, which consist of transfers, in cash or in kind to households and individuals to relieve them of the burden of a defined set of risks or needs.
3 Unemployment rates represent unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force. Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were: (a) without work during the reference week; (b) currently available for work; (c) actively seeking work.
4 Situation of penal institutions on 1 September, 2009.
5 Share of persons aged 0+ with an equivalent disposable income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers).
Drug use among the general population and young people
The last general population survey on drug use was conducted in Hungary in 2007. Results of the 2007 general population survey reveal that lifetime prevalence for cannabis was 8.5 %, 2.4 % for ecstasy, 1.8 % for amphetamines and below 1 % for other illicit substances. In 2003, lifetime prevalence for cannabis was 9.8 %, 3.1 % for ecstasy, 2.5 % for amphetamines and below 2 % for other substances, except for sedatives and/or tranquillisers (22.2 %).
Available data for young adults (18–34 years old) showed that 19.1 % reported lifetime experience with cannabis and 5.1 % reported to have used ecstasy and 4 % amphetamines at least once in their life. Lifetime prevalence for this age group was lower for all other illicit substances. Last year prevalence of cannabis use was reported by 5.7 % of the sample and last month prevalence by 2.7 %.
Nationwide data on drug use among students, aged 15–16 years, are based on the ESPAD surveys conducted regularly since 1995. The latest ESPAD results, in 2007, showed that 13 % had ever tried marijuana or hashish (16 % in 2003). In 2007, inhalants lifetime prevalence was reported by 8 % of the students. Lifetime prevalence of ecstasy was reported by 5 %, amphetamines use was reported by 4 % of the sample, 3 % reported LSD use, 2 % reported cocaine use,1 % heroin use. Results indicated 10 % for the last year prevalence of cannabis use (11 % in 2003), 5 % for the last month prevalence of cannabis (6 % in 2003). In addition, the reported lifetime prevalence of cannabis use among males was 16 % and 11 % among females.
Prevention
Drug prevention intervention mainly carried out with a focus to a family; in educational, workplace, recreational settings; via the Internet and mass media; through child protection institutions and the criminal justice system.
Detailed information on school-based drug prevention programmes, the predominant prevention setting in Hungary is available on www.ndi-szip.hu. Programmes can be searched based on various criteria. The 2009 survey of prevention programmes in educational settings found that training related to prevention of licit or illicit drugs in schools predominantly are delivered by independent service providers.
In 2006, a network of school social workers has been set up in the city of ‘Pécs’, the targets being students, the families of students, and everyone in contact with the school and school-aged children in general. Aims are individual case management and counselling, also redirecting students and parents to other specialised services; and social work with parents and families. Currently, six public education facilities are using these services. Efficiency of the service in a particular school is closely linked to the length of participation in the program, number of children per one school social worker (below 1 000) and recognition of the service by the school administration.
With regards to selective prevention, activities are targeted at recreational settings and vulnerable youth. In 2005, a new service targeted at youths in shopping malls was launched in Budapest and Pécs, and in 2009 this and similar programmes were implemented in various locations across Hungary. These projects offer young people alternative ways on how to spend their spare time, engage them in some creative and craftwork sessions as well as provide education and information. Prevention activities are implemented also among army conscripts.
Problem drug use
In Hungary, the first estimate for the prevalence of hidden problem drug use was conducted in 2003. In 2005, the rate for problem drug use was 3.48 per 1 000 inhabitants aged 15–64, corresponding to a number of 24 204 problem drug users (in a range between 19 333 and 29 075). In 2008–09, the number of injecting drug users in Hungary was estimated to be 5 699 with a central rate of 0.8 for 1 000 inhabitants aged 15–64. This estimation was made based on the records in infectious diseases screening programmes.
Capture–recapture data suggests that the population size of problem opiate users in 2007-2008 was between 2 780 and 3 480, with a central rate of 0.5 for 1 000 inhabitants aged 15–64.
The EMCDDA defines problem drug use as intravenous drug use (IDU) or long duration/regular drug use of opiates, cocaine and/or amphetamines. Ecstasy and cannabis are not included in this category.
Treatment demand
In 2009, the data collection system for treatment demand was provided by 83 treatment centres. A total of 4 317 clients entered treatment, 2 844 out of which were first-time treatment clients.
In 2009, cannabis remains the primary substance of abuse among all clients in treatment, with a percentage of 69.8, followed by 10.4 % for opioids and 10.0 % for amphetamines. Similarly, among first-time treatment clients cannabis was reported as the primary substance of abuse at 80.2 %, followed by 9.7 % for amphetamines and 3.1 % for opioids.
In 2009, 49 % of all clients entering treatment were less than 25 years old. A higher percentage in age distribution was reported among clients entering treatment for the first time, with 57 % under the age of 25 years. As regards gender distribution among all clients entering treatment, in 2009, the majority were male at 87 %, compared to 13 % for females. A similar gender distribution was recorded among first-time treatment clients: 88 % were male and 12 % were female.
Drug-related infectious diseases
There are different sources of information on drug-related infectious diseases in Hungary: the National Registry of Infected Patients run by the Department for Epidemiology of the National Centre for Epidemiology and the special HIV/AIDS and hepatitis surveillance database; and research focused on prevalence of infectious diseases among injecting drug users (IDUs).
According to the National Centre for Epidemiology, 31 (34 in 2008) acute cases of hepatitis C (HCV) were registered in 2009 for the whole country. Four of the patients became infected through injecting drug use. For hepatitis B (HBV), 66 (88 in 2008) acute cases were registered in 2009. Two of the patients became infected through injecting drug use.
In 2009, 140 newly diagnosed HIV-positive persons were reported in the general population. The incidence rate was 14 cases per million inhabitants. No HIV infections originating in the IDU risk group were identified among all cases with a known risk factor.
On the basis of the national seroprevalence study carried out in 20 sites in 2009 among 676 IDUs, no HIV positive person was found, however, 163 tested IDUs (24.4 %) were HCV (antibodies) positive and five (0.7 %) tested IDUs were HBV (HBsAg) positive.
Drug-related deaths
From 2009 the data on drug-related death are derived from the mortality module of the National Centre for Addiction reporting system, which contains detailed information on the case, including toxicology results.
The number of reported deaths due to illicit drug use has increased slightly in comparison with previous years 31 overdose death cases were reported in 2009, compared to 27 in 2008, 25 in both 2007 and 2006. In 2009, cases of overdose occurred nearly exclusively in connection with heroin use (30 cases). With regards to the distribution by age and sex, we may say that the majority of cases involved males (90.3 %) and the mean age was 32.0 years.
Treatment responses
A ministerial commission, appointed by the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, is responsible for coordinating drug issues and carries out the tasks of the national drug coordinator. Most of the treatment services are provided by public organisations at regional level. This is followed by non-governmental drug service providers. In Hungary, all types of drug treatment are financed by the National Health Insurance Fund with the exception of about 10 % of the total number of inpatient and outpatient institutions, which are financed by the church or other organisations.
Treatment for drug users is offered at various outpatient and inpatient facilities throughout Hungary. Facilities include rehabilitation centres and therapy-providing institutions, as well as psychiatric departments, therapeutic communities and crisis intervention departments. The need for developing outpatient institutions specialising in treatment for drug addicts was identified, and first services were established, in the 1980s. Overall, in 2007 there were 22 specialised outpatient treatment centres operating in 15 counties in Hungary. Inpatient care is offered by psychiatric departments, departments of addiction, crisis intervention departments as well as by NGOs running therapeutic communities. Rehabilitation homes operating in the country had a contract with the National Health Insurance Fund (all together for 268 beds) in 2008. Long-term rehabilitation is mainly provided by NGOs. The services they deliver are only partially medical or healthcare-related, and are dominated by social and welfare programmes such as work therapy and social reintegration.
In 1994, the first methadone maintenance treatment programme was launched in Hungary, and this is currently available in ten institutions in seven towns nationwide. The total number of clients in opiate substitution treatment in 2009 was 992, of whom 638 were on methadone. Buprenorphine/naloxone combination has been introduced in 2007 and accounted for 354 clients in 2009, 164 of whom received the drug on prescription and purchased at its own cost.
Harm reduction responses
A harm reduction approach has been present in Hungary for many years. However, only in recent years has it also received support at the professional and drug policy level. The ‘National Strategy to Combat the Drug Problem’ includes an obligation to integrate a harm reduction approach and harm reduction programmes.
A number of low-threshold services provide counselling, referral to long-term treatment, social support and legal assistance. Needles and syringes are available across the country through 17 fixed needle and syringe exchange programmes (three in Budapest and fourteen in other cities), two mobile units (one in Budapest, one in another city) five vending machines (one in Budapest and four in other cities), and 12 street outreach programmes (five in Budapest and seven in other cities). A total of 21 organisations are involved in needle and syringe exchange programmes in Hungary. In 2009, more than 392 000 syringes were distributed.
Drug markets and drug-related offences
Hungary is a transit country for heroin trafficked across the Middle East region that is transported via the Balkan route to Western Europe (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy and France). Nigerian citizens play a central role on cocaine importation, smuggling and distribution in Hungary. These refugees establish several small cells, which organise the transportation of cocaine from Spain, the Netherlands or directly from South America. Hungarian nationals are mostly recruited as couriers in these networks.
Data on seizures are provided by the Hungarian police and Hungarian customs. On the basis of the number of seizures registered in 2009, it can be stated that herbal cannabis is still the most widely seized drug, followed by amphetamines, cannabis plants, cocaine and heroin (1 939, 388, 171, 139 and 110 seizures respectively).
The quantity of herbal cannabis seized fluctuates over past years with no clear trend. In 2009, 293 kg were seized, while in 2008 the total amount seized was 255 kg, in 2007 it was 347 kg, but in 2006, 266 kg was seized. Regarding the quantity of amphetamine seized, these have been increasing since 2001 and in 2008 have reached the highest level ever (62 kg). In 2009, only 52 kg were seized. The active police actions jointly with electrical and water suppliers resulted in seizures of 20 501 cannabis plants in 2009. In 2009, 125 kg of heroin was seized, which is more than in 2007 and 2008 (80 kg and 29 kg respectively).The trend in quantity of cocaine seized follows an increase-decrease-increase pattern. First data regarding cocaine seized was available in 2000, the quantity seized increased in the following years, peaking in 2004 at 94 kg and decreasing the next two years, increasing again in 2008 and 2009 (23 and 20 kg respectively). After a record amount of ecstasy tablets seized (234 582 tablets) in 2005, followed a decrease in next years. In 2009, 5 413 tablets were seized.
In 2009, the number of revealed criminal offences concerning the misuse of narcotic drugs (4 828 cases) dropped if compared to 2008 (5 459 cases). Most of the criminal offences involved cannabis, followed by heroin and ecstasy; and were related to misuse of the drugs (4 048 cases).
National drug laws
The drug-control sections of the Hungarian Criminal Code (HCC) were considerably amended in 2003. This amendment was based on the principle that both demand and supply must be reduced, and that there is a need to differentiate approaches towards drug consumers, where prevention, treatment and criminal law must all be taken into account. The HCC was reorganised into sections covering possession, trafficking, minors, addicts, exemptions from punishment, and drug precursors. The amendment introduced more detailed provisions (lower maximum sentences if the offender is an addict, detailed and differentiated regulations on drug-related crimes if persons under 18 years are involved), and again made the treatment option available both for consumers and addicts. It also removed ‘consumption’ as a specific offence — although in an indirect way consumption remains punishable, as possessing and acquiring drugs remains an offence.
National drug strategy
Hungary’s first national drug strategy 2000–09 was evaluated in 2009 and a new National Strategy for Tackling the Drugs Problem 2010–18 was adopted in December of that year. In December 2010, following the elections in March 2010 and subsequent change of the Government, the new strategy was repealed. Drafting and adoption of a new national strategic document for tackling the drug problems in Hungary is in progress.
Coordination mechanism in the field of drugs
The Coordination Committee on Drug Affairs (CCDA) advises the government and reports to the government on a yearly basis. The Committee includes representatives of all concerned ministries and national institutions and, since 2007, of four NGOs. In 2009, a Committee on Controlled Substances was set-up under the CCDA, mainly to respond quickly and initiate assessments and proposals for appropriate control measures on emerging new psychotropic substances.
The National Bureau for Drug Prevention coordinates the activities of the KEFs (see below) and ensures harmonisation between the national strategy and the local strategies.
Coordination Forums on Drug Affairs (KEFs) coordinate activities at the local level. These are committees of 8–10 members (representatives of NGOs, health/law enforcement state services, local governments, churches) who collect information, determine the most important risk groups, and define the targets of community-based interventions, as well as possibilities for treatment. KEFs must ensure that information concerning local services is available, and there are 85 of them operating at the local, county and regional level.
Drug-related research
The coordinating body for drug issues in Hungary, the Ministry of National Resources, also coordinates drug-related research through an open tendering mechanism. Hungary’s National Strategy dedicates a specific chapter on the importance of monitoring, and all pillars list the research topics needed for situation assessment and intervention evaluation. The national focal point, which also conducts and initiates research, collects all research reports available in Hungary and disseminates their results via its website and newsletter. Information on the different research institutions and organisations and their research projects is available on www.ndi-szip.hu. Research results are usually available from public institutions, sponsors and researchers’ websites. Recent drug-related studies mentioned in the 2010 Hungarian National report mainly focused on evaluation of interventions but studies on problem drug use have also been mentioned.
