Rhetoric versus Practice in Czech Drug Policy

Abstract

Modern official Czech drug policies were initiated in 1993 when the government approved its first national drug policy program for 1993 to 1996. The current policy was defined in the National Drug Policy Strategy 2005–2009, a document that calls for an evidence-based drug policy and a balanced and interdisciplinary approach to the problem of drug use. In order to assess the existence of possible discrepancies between these official statements and their practical implementation, the author provides an analysis of Czech drug policy based on a review of official and other documents as well as interviews with representatives and key players in the Czech drug policy arena. The main finding is that several conflicts exist between the official policy and its practical application and that these disparities serve as obstacles to its effectiveness. These differences exist because of the wide variety of ways in which key players have conceptualized drug use per se and the manner in which they have constructed particular reform measures to implement and mirror their main interests and priorities. Particular areas of concern that have been especially impacted by these phenomena are illustrated and discussed below. In order to assure the effectiveness of future Czech drug policy, further research, especially regarding its practical application, needs to occur.