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EURO HEALTH Podcast

The guests of this podcast are carefully selected professors, doctors and others, so as they are experts in the health sector and discuss a range of complex topics which should be debated by the European politicians in Brussels. The world is swelled by crises in the health sector but just a few get properly elaborated on. The EURO HEALTH Podcast is here to change the narrative and provide valuable perspectives on issues which might seem obsolete but are equally important as others. Moderated by Jan Klusáček.

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EURO HEALTH Podcast

Viktor Mravčík: Restrictive approach to drugs is driven by ideology

June 06, 2024 • Health Podcast • Season 3 • Episode 1

The 3rd season of the Euro Health Podcast kicks off with a very distinguished guest: Viktor Mravčík, Head of Science at the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies (IRAP) and Advisor to the Czech National Drug Coordinator.

MUDr. Mravčík has a long career in the development of drug policies in his home county, the Czech Republic. We discusses with him the evolution of the approach towards the monitoring and the management of drugs and addiction, from the perspective of a country that pioneered a rational and evidence-based approach to the issues, focused on harm reduction rather than prohibitionism.

There are various methods to tackle the issue arising from the circulation and the consumption of addictive substances, from both a market and a public health perspective. Experts, scientists and policymakers have to create regulatory frameworks and strategies to address the phenomenon, but in the European stage, they are often fragmented or contradictory.

How does science translate to policy-making? What is the role of the European institutions, especially the European Commission and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction? What are the reasons behind the still widespread prohibitionist approach to substances? How does this apply to the regulation of licit substances like tobacco and alcohol? Find out some answers to these questions and much more in the new episode of the Euro Health podcast.

🗣SPEAKER

MUDr. Viktor Mravčík is the Head of Science at the Institute for Rational Addiction Policies (IRAP) and Advisor to the Czech National Drug Coordinator.

In 2018, he was nominated associate professor at the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University. From 2002 to 2021, he headed the Czech National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addictions, authoring national reports on substance use. In this role, he was part of the Reitox network of Focal Points coordinated by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drugs Addiction (EMCDDA). His responsibility in this role included the management of the National drug information system and the compilation of Annual reports on drugs and behavioural addictions in the Czech Republic.

In 2022 he took office as scientific advisor of the Czech National Drug Coordinator. His research focuses on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of substance use and addiction policies, and, in his current role, he is involved in preparing drug policy reforms, including cannabis decriminalization and regulation.

🎙 EURO HEALTH PODCAST Euro Health Podcast focuses on European health policy by giving voice to leading experts. The goal is to bring complex and evidence-based information, which could lead to a better Europe. Podcast is hosted by Jiří Svoboda.

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