Bratislava, Trnava and Nitra, together with experts, announce a coordinated initiative to address the growing availability of new psychoactive substances

The large increase in the availability of new psychoactive substances is seen by all the mentioned organisations and cities as a major problem, particularly in relation to the target group of children and young people. They have for a long time been warning about the risks that such substances entail, whether in the form of an increased rate of intoxication cases or the effects on mental health and psychological development. They likewise point to the lack of regulation of the sale of these substances in vending machines and online, where consumer protection is lacking and age control of buyers and supervision over the safety of the products sold do not work.

This is why the cities of Bratislava, Trnava and Nitra, in cooperation with the professional non-governmental organisations OZ Odyseus, OZ Prima, Združenie STORM and OZ KASPIAN, have decided to act together on this topic as a means to make it more visible and to promote a unified approach and share good practices. The mentioned organisations have been working with young people, parents and communities for a long time. They provide social services and proven preventive programmes that are accredited by the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education.

The coordinated cooperation between the cities and experts complements the ÚMS initiative with specific professional solutions from practice – in particular, uniform processes for the appearance of new psychoactive substances, limiting their availability to children and young people, strengthening preventive, informational and educational activities, and support for the regulation of sales in vending machines, stores and online.

The cities and professional organisations mentioned above are at the same time offering themselves as partners in the preparation of and commenting on the draft law on new psychoactive substances. They are prepared to provide practical experience from the field as well as professional knowledge and to also point out the needs of local communities, so that the regulation is effective and enforceable in practice. The goal of the initiative is to strengthen effective prevention, unify approaches in the event of the occurrence and suspicion of the sale of new psychoactive substances, improve awareness of the risks associated with the use of new psychoactive substances and reduce the accessibility of the sale of risky substances without age verification.

For young people it is crucial to have timely, comprehensible and truthful information about the risks of these substances, so that they can react safely in situations where they encounter them – whether at school, on the Internet or in their free time. At the same time, it is essential to strengthen prevention and education, not with scare tactics but by explaining what psychoactive substances do to the body and mind, what the warning signs of intoxication are and how to provide first aid. It is important through proven prevention programmes to support the development of skills that lead to self-regulation, coping with stressful situations, building functional relationships, overcoming peer pressure and applying critical thinking.

As part of their fieldwork and prevention activities, experts regularly visit schools, festivals and public spaces, where they provide objective information about various psychoactive substances, the risks of their use and options for safe response in crisis situations. Their task is to ensure that young people have access to facts, not myths, and that they know how to respond to situations where they come across substances whose composition is often unknown and the effects unpredictable.

Because with any such substance fun can rapidly turn into a crisis situation.

The cities and professional organisations are stressing the need to protect young people from the sale of risky substances without age verification while also supporting trustworthy information sources for parents, schools and communities. The combination of prevention, education and a safe environment can significantly reduce the number of intoxications and injuries related to the use of psychoactive substances.

Contact person for the working group of the cities of Bratislava, Nitra and Trnava and professional organisations: [email protected], 0905 943 229