Ľubomír Okruhlica, Imrich Šteliar, Silvia Slezáková
The aim of the paper is to inform greater professional audience about current characteristics and principal trends on the drug scene in our country in the association with its health consequences. Methods: It is descriptive, statistical study complemented by the observations from clinical practice in the medicine of drug dependencies. Quantitative statistical analysis was done at the National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and drug dependencies based on the data collected by the National Centre for Health Information and by the Centre for Treatment of Drug Dependencies in Bratislava. Results: The use of cannabis is the most popular from all controlled psychoactive substances (drugs). A slow, but remarkable increase in demand for the treatment due to cannabis dependence has developed during last years. The abuse of methamphetamines (pervitine) has come forward among so called hard drugs, while stabilization or even a decrease has appeared in the demand for treatment due to opioids, mostly heroin. Problem is the increase of the multiple drug use often together with alcohol. Decrease of the number of injecting drug users is a good sign, together with lasting low occurrence of HIV infection and stabilization of hepatitis C viral infection incidence among drug users. Conclusions: As it has been shown by detected trends, the situation in the use of psychoactive substances in Slovakia is dynamic and difficult to predict. It is necessary to emphasize the need of the toxicological screening in medical practice. Health - economic consequences are developing as results of the associated physical harm, which can be avoided, or at least reduced to minimum by the effective treatment programmes for dependencies.