As synthetic marijuana, known locally as “herbál”, floods the streets, addiction has become disturbingly visible, cheap, and dangerously normalised. Blikk’s investigation reveals a city struggling with a silent crisis that’s anything but hidden.

Synthetic marijuana becomes more popular Blikk has dug deep into Budapest’s growing drug problem, uncovering a grim reality that plays out in broad daylight across the city. From Blaha Lujza Square to Józsefváros, synthetic substances like “herbál”, a potent and cheap designer drug, are ravaging communities.

Once seeking cheap alcohol, many vulnerable individuals now opt for these easily accessible narcotics. Users, often visibly intoxicated and semi-conscious in public spaces, deny their addiction, but their vacant stares and erratic behaviour reveal the truth. 

Addicts do not hide in the shadows anymore 

Public parks and squares have become open-air stages for the drug problem, with addicts congregating near playgrounds, benches and metro stations.

Despite regular police patrols and interventions, the cycle continues. Locals report that nights bring heightened danger, with addicts becoming aggressive or entirely unresponsive. Residents live in fear, and even regular commuters say they alter their routes to avoid run-ins with users or dealers. 

Anonymity 

While some foundations and support centres exist for those seeking help, many addicts prefer anonymity, travelling from other districts to avoid recognition. In places like Népliget, dealers operate in plain sight, confident in their knowledge of legal grey areas.

Social workers speak of a silent epidemic, where no one “does drugs” publicly, yet addiction is visible everywhere, and the stigma keeps users trapped in denial.

Drug problems don’t go away Two young men have told Blikk that entire apartment blocks in districts like Kőbánya and Józsefváros act as de facto drug dens.

Former slum areas like the infamous Hős Street may be slated for demolition, but the people, and the drug problem, haven’t disappeared.

As long as synthetic drugs remain cheap, profitable, and accessible, Budapest’s battle with addiction will persist in its parks, its underpasses, and its neighbourhoods.

Source: dailynewshungary - republished with permission

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