Drug law in Hungary: HCLU's guide for foreigners

In Hungary, the purchase, consumption, and possession of illegal drugs are all criminal offences. Note that even if the use of a particular drug is not a criminal offence in your country, you are still obliged to comply with Hungarian law, and will be held accountable to the same standards as a local person. This leaflet aims to give you a brief overview of what you need to know about the regulation of illegal drugs in Hungary.

What are the illegal drugs?

The most common illegal drugs are marijuana, hash, ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, ketamine, opiates, heroin, magic mushroom and LSD. The consumption or possession of any of these substances is punishable by 2 years' imprisonment. On top of these well known substances there is a new range of new psychoactive substances (so-called “legal highs”). These are typically sold in smart shops and have a similar chemical structure and effects to classic illegal drugs. To keep up with the rapidly changing market, the government introduced a temporary list of new psychoactive substances, which includes all the illegal designer drugs. Distribution of these substances is a criminal offence punishable by up to 3 years' imprisonment, possession for personal use is an administrative offence punishable by a fine. If you are unsure whether any particular substance is legal or not, you can check the up-to-date list at: drogriporter.hu/jegyzek

Click here to read the full article.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.