On the occasion of World Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking last week, Pope Leo XIV warned people against the “invisible prison” of drugs and addiction, saying both governments and society as whole must battle against this force.
“Drugs kill lives, destroy families, and destroy souls,” he said, while also calling out the widespread criminal organizations that profit from the drug trade and asking governments to do more to dismantle them.
Speaking to former addicts, those still battling addiction, and organizations trying to stem the drug trade, the Holy See added: “Often, in the name of public security, wars are waged against the poor, and prisons are filled with those who are only the last link in the chain. However, those who control the criminal network have significant influence and go unpunished.”
Szabolcs Velenczei from the Drug Research Institute in Hungary wrote in Mandiner that the pope’s words “reinforce” the path Hungary has chosen in its fight against drugs.
The Vatican head “calls the drug trade a global threat and encourages world leaders not to react only behind statistics, but to take joint moral and political decisions to combat the problem,” we read.
Lauding the pope’s call for global action and a comprehensive answer to what is a “complex problem,” Velenczei especially hailed the Holy See’s “voice of hope.”
Europe is snorting record amounts of cocaine, and drug smugglers are importing record amounts.
The last decade has seen the cocaine trade to Europe boom, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
According to a 2024 European Drug report, cocaine residues in… pic.twitter.com/n4EQqcz6yZ
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“People need to know that there is another way than resorting to drugs,” he writes, then turning to the direction Hungary is taking to tackle the issue. “In Hungary, rehabilitation initiatives that offer not only physical but also psycho-social recovery have gained strength in recent years. The Pope is also thinking in parallel when he emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation, community inclusion and spiritual healing.”
Last month, Hungary introduced stricter laws to go after those in the drug trade and protect children. “There is no bargaining with those who harm our children,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said.
Pope Leo XIV also drew attention to the fact that drug addicts should not be treated as criminals, but as people who need help. The real fight should therefore not be against them, but against the criminal organizations operating in the background, which resonates strongly with Hungary’s own legislation.
According to the pope, drug addiction is not a choice, but a form of slavery, a disease that requires compassion, not an accommodating or justifying attitude.
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