UN warns of methamphetamine abuse among Czechs

Zdeněk Mihalco
7. 3. 2008 7:00
New law to restrain sale of drugs with pseudoephedrine

Prague, New York - The UN has released its annual report on drug consumption in the world.

Across Europe, the Czech Republic including, marijuana is still the drug of choice. On the other hand, Western Europe is experiencing a cocaine boom.

The UN report sees the Czech Republic as a country with high consumption of methamphetamine, or pervitin as the drug is popularly known here.

Illegal production and use of methamphetamines is less present in a few countries of the Western and Central Europe.

On long-term basis the Czech Republic is among the countries with highest consumption of pervitin. 

Production to be complicated soon

Pervitin is produced in home laboratories from pseudoephedrine contained in some medicaments, such as Modafen, Nurofen, Paralen Plus or Panadol Plus.

The drug is not to be so easily available as of next year, though, as a new law already approved by parliament will introduce a new group of medicaments that will be for free sale but with some limitations.

For example, a druggist will be authorised to ask a customer for his or her ID. The druggist will also be able to sell only a limited amount of the medicament, or not to sell the medicament at all in the case of suspicion.

The Czech lawmakers expect the above mentioned medicaments to be included in the group.

Drug experts in favor of limitations

"It all depends on specific conditions of a particular medicament," explained a spokesman of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacists Aleš Krebs. These conditions are set by the State Institute for Drug Control.

Next year, the institute will separate all the medicines into three categories: those for free sale, those for limited sale and finally prescription drugs.

As usual, pharmaceutical "lobby" is going to try to make the list of prescription or otherwise limited medicaments the shortest possible.

Drug experts have been for a long time complaining about drugs with pseudoephedrine being for free sale.

 

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