Illegal drug use is a complex issue: it connects fundamental health and psychological challenges with institutional and community problems and even organised crime. According to surveys conducted by the Youth Research Institute, young people still see drug proliferation as one of the most pressing issues affecting their generation. A significant portion of 15–29-year-olds believes that drugs are easily accessible, and two-thirds of them support stricter regulation.
Greater Access with Age and Regional Differences
In early 2023, the Youth Research Institute conducted a survey among 1,000 Hungarian young people aged 15–29 to assess their views on drug accessibility. While the majority said drugs were not easy to obtain, a considerable portion (44%) believed otherwise: 13% said they were “very easy” to access, while another 31% said it was “easy”. This marks an increase from 2016, when only 23% thought accessing drugs was easy (with 13% saying that it was “very easy” then too).
These findings suggest that illegal drugs have a persistent presence in the lives of young people — although this presence is not evenly distributed. The younger cohorts feel that drugs are easier to access. When expanding the age group to 15–39, a 10-percentage-point difference appears between those under and over 25: nearly half of those under-25 think drugs are easily accessible, while this proportion is significantly lower among those older than 25. 46% of 15–19-year-olds believe they could easily obtain illegal drugs, and among 20–24-year-olds, this figure reaches 49%.
A similar 10-point gap is seen between genders among respondents: 46% of males vs. 37% of females think drugs are easy to access. In terms of regions, Budapest stands out — every second respondent there believes access is easy; the regions of the Southern Great Plain and Northern Hungary reflect similar results.
Surveys conducted by the Youth Research Institute on the topic of festivals also revealed heightened risk: while 42% of all young people said drugs were easy to access in general, this proportion rose to 51% when festival-goers were asked specifically about access at festival venues.
68% Support Tougher Laws, Only 25% Want Looser Rules
The 2023 data from the festival research also showed that a clear majority of youth do not support legalisation: 68% are in favour of stricter laws, while only 25% support easing regulations (the rest were undecided or chose not to answer).
Despite strong support for stricter regulation, efforts to tackle illegal drugs should not rely solely on harsher laws.
More and more experts emphasise the importance of prevention and education, as well as mental health in tackling the issue. Drug use isn’t an isolated phenomenon — it is closely linked to living conditions, anxiety levels, and lack of self-awareness. So, while tightening laws, it's equally vital to strengthen young people’s “immune system” — and the fact that many young people already recognise the seriousness of the problem serves as a good foundation.
The findings also underscore the importance of enforcing existing laws, especially to disrupt drug trafficking. It’s a serious warning when nearly every second young person under age 25 says drugs are easy to access. Efforts must be made to minimise this access — especially among the most vulnerable segments of society.
