Government of the Czech Republic

This study presents a digital forensic facial approximation of Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia (ca. 907–935), based on photographs of the skull attributed to the saint, preserved in St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague. The skull was replicated through structural deformation using public domain images, adjusted to historical measurements, and enriched with anthropometric data. The facial approximation combined traditional techniques with statistical projections from tomography of living individuals, resulting in two versions: an objective one and another with artistic and more speculative elements based on historical descriptions. Comparisons with Petr Parler’s 14th-century statue and a previous reconstruction revealed structural consistency, suggesting the skull may have inspired the sculpture. This work contributes to humanizing historical figures and reinforces Wenceslas’s legacy as a Czech icon.

Different psychoactive substances are widely used in today's society. So far limited data are available on the use of psychedelics in the general population. The main aim of this study is to estimate the numbers of users of substances with psychedelic properties (classical psychedelics, cannabis, ecstasy, and ketamine) in the Czech Republic. Data from two samples enrolled in representative cross-sectional questionnaire surveys in the Czech adult population in 2016 (n = 2,785) and 2018 (n = 1,665) were analysed. Prevalence rates were extrapolated to estimate numbers of current, i.e., last-year, users of psychedelics, and their socio-demographic profiles were compared with non-users and users of cannabis. An estimated 5-6% of the Czech adult population (350-430 thousand people) used classical psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca) in their lifetime, increasing up to 28-30% when cannabis is included (1.9-2.1 million users). Current use of classical psychedelics reached 0.7-1.9% (50-130 thousand people), and 9-11% (590-750 thousand users) when cannabis was included. Users of psychedelics were more often males, of younger age and single. No significant socio-demographic differences were found between users of classical psychedelics and recreational cannabis users, however, differences were significant when compared to non-users and users of other illicit drugs. Findings should further serve to inform drug policy and social and healthcare systems in respect to the use of psychedelics.

Regional price levels attract attention of researchers as well as of general public due to the fact that regional price differences influence the interpretation of regional indicators. The current international approach reflects just price differences among countries, and regional disparities are excluded from the calculation. Official statistics is not able to capture them mainly due to the lack of detailed regional data sources. However, in several countries including the Czech Republic, researchers estimated regional price levels using various approaches. This activity has been widely appreciated and the results have been applied in wage analyses, doctoral theses, further research, etc. The research team of the University of Economics in Prague first developed the methodology and estimated regional price levels in the Czech Republic for the year 2007. The next estimate for the year 2012 considered changes brought by the new standard of national accounts, new methods of data collection, etc. The aim of this paper is to assess the ongoing applicability of the existing methodology and estimate regional price levels for the year 2017 in Czech NUTS 3 regions. The main contribution is to answer the demand for updated estimates. Longer time series permit analyzing changes in regional price levels and in the trends of real indicators that are adjusted to price levels. The analysis also provides a useful tool for the research community for assessing the convergence of Czech regions.

Heroin users in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) show markedly reduced heroin consumption, less crime and a lower mortality rate. However, the extent of long-term OAT participation over subsequent treatment episodes remains unclear. We analysed the annual proportion of patients in treatment (at least 1 day) since the start of first OAT in 4 European regions: Barcelona (BA) 1996–2012: 8,602 patients; Czech ­Republic (CZ) 2000–2014: 4,377 patients; Netherlands (NL) 1994–2014: 33,235 patients, Zurich (ZU) 1992–2015: 11,795. We estimated the long-term decline of treatment need due to mortality or abstinence and also a “nuisance” short-term decline until the equilibrium level of cycling in and out of OAT is reached to obtain the adjusted treatment participation value. The adjusted treatment participation was around 50% (BA: 47.4–51.4%; CZ: 49.8–53.9%; NL: 52.3–54.0%; ZU: 46.4–49.3%), and the annual decline of treatment need was close to 4%. Non-nationals (NL patients with a migrant background) showed substantial lower adjusted treatment participation (rate ratio BA: 0.059–0.343; NL: 0.710–0.751; ZU: 0.681–0.797; CZ: n.a.). Our method may provide a policy-relevant indicator of long-term provision, quality and access to OAT following first treatment.

The study examines data from teenagers from 35 countries taking part in surveys conducted within the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). The main hypothesis tested was that the higher the prevalence of use of a particular drug the fewer will be the respondents who perceive great harm in using it. The hypothesis was tested for cannabis, alcohol, ecstasy, and inhalants, and was strongly confirmed for the former two in the data from the 1999 and 2003 surveys. For cannabis, the perceived risk of harm changed in the expected direction as prevalence changed between 1999 and 2003. The results, although always in the expected direction, were inconclusive regarding ecstasy and inhalants.