National Drug Policy Strategy for the Period 2010 - 2018

The National Drug Policy Strategy for the Period 2010 to 2018 was adopted by virtue of Government Resolution No. 340 on 10 May 2010.

It is the fifth strategic document on the Czech drug policy since 1993, the year when the first drug policy programme, for the period 1993 to 1996, was conceived.

For the first time, the new National Strategy is defined as a long-term strategic document spanning a period of nine years. Its time framework and its long-range strategic nature are probably the most distinctive features in which this document differs from its predecessors. As regards the issue of drugs, until recently the Czech Republic used mid-term strategic documents (covering periods of four to five years) which, to a varied degree, also set out specific problem-solving approaches.

This strategy is intended to serve the individual drug policy stakeholders as a guide showing the path which the Czech drug policy will follow in the next nine years and defining the background and principles which the Government finds efficient and meaningful in tackling the problem of drug use. In particular, these include a well-balanced approach and the equivalent application of all four traditional cornerstones of the drug policy, ranging from prevention to law enforcement. Furthermore, there are the guiding principles which should be applied to adopting decisions relevant to the drug policy: the principles of realistic, rational, and informed decision making, of long-term and comprehensive planning, of a comprehensive approach to the issue of both legal and illegal drugs, of rational funding, and of service quality, and the principle of partnership and joint accountability. Four main drug policy objectives have been set. They determine the final purpose of all the activities pursued by the entities involved in the drug policy.

Three consecutive three-year action plans covering the period of the operation of the Strategy will articulate specific tools and activities and define specific priorities which the drug policy should account for in the respective forthcoming periods. In comparison to the Strategy, the action plans provide instruments which may respond to any changes in the drug situation more flexibly and facilitate the effective allocation of resources available to deal with pressing issues on the basis of needs that have been formulated.

Undoubtedly, in the course of the forthcoming nine years the Czech drug policy will have to respond to a number of both traditional and emerging challenges. Therefore, it is appropriate to wish it a great deal of all the support necessary for its implementation and, to all those who are developing it and carrying it out, as well as any other drug policy stakeholders, success and perseverance in their work.

The Secretariat of the Government Council for Drug Policy Coordination would like to express their sincere thanks to all the members of the working groups, representatives of the ministries and professionals, who were actively involved in the development and review of the 2010-2018 National Drug Policy Strategy.

Secretariat, Government Council for Drug Policy Coordination