Abstract
The article presents an overview of selected theoretical models that deal with the issue of the interrelationship between substance use and criminality. Its main aim is to highlight the particular complexity of the issue.
Through the presentation of selected theoretical approaches it seeks to point out the basic factors that need to be taken into account in determining the proportion of crime which can be assigned to substance abuse. Besides foreign theoretical models, the article also reflects the typical division of drug-related crime used in the Czech Republic, i.e. into primary and secondary drug-related crime.
In view of the different psychopharmacological effects, the legal or illegal nature of the substance, and the different degree of social acceptance of its use, a distinction is made between drug-related crime and alcohol-related crime, but only the issue of non-alcoholic illegal drugs is discussed in more detail. The article does not claim to be an exhaustive summary.
This brief excursion aims to draw the reader’s attention to the multifaceted nature of the relationship between substance use and crime and to bring up new ideas which may be useful for the further exploration of this issue.