Abstract
Substance use in adolescence brings a wide range of harms for the health and social development of an individual, and increases the risk of adverse health and social consequences in the adulthood. The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) is one of the most important projects focusing on the extent of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use among 16-year-old students in Europe.
The aim of the paper is, based on the ESPAD study results, to summarize the situation and trends in illicit drug use among Czech adolescents in the last 20 years. Cannabis was the most widely illicit drug reported by Czech adolescents in 2015 (36.8% students reported having tried cannabis in lifetime), followed by LSD and other hallucinogens (3.8%), hallucinogenic mushrooms (3.3%) and Ecstasy (2.7%).
Trends in the long run suggest significant increases in cannabis prevalence between 1995 and 2003 (from 21.8% to 43.6%), stabilization of the situation between 2003 and 2007, and gradual decline in cannabis use since 2011. In case of other illicit drugs, declines have been observed already since 2003.
At the same time, patterns of substance use have changed recently, long-term differences seen between boys and girls have declined. Even though positive trends in substance use have been observed, the reported experience of Czech adolescents with substance use has stayed above the European average.
Regular monitoring of the situation and trends in substance use among adolescents is important for the setting of drug policy in the Czech Republic and for the implementation of preventive measures and activities.