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Researchers from the Public Health Policy Research Initiative participated in the debate Addiction Policy 2025+: The Path to a Sustainable and Healthy Czech Republic, held in Prague on 25 September 2025. The conference was organised by the Institute for Mental Health and Addiction Studies (IMHAS) and brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the future direction of addiction policy in the Czech Republic.

The roundtable addressed a wide range of contemporary challenges, including digital addictions, cyberbullying, online gambling, alcohol consumption, cannabis regulation, and new psychomodulatory substances. Discussions highlighted the need for rational, evidence-based approaches that respond to changing social and technological environments, rather than relying on purely ideological or prohibitive policy models.

A central part of the event was the presentation of the expert memorandum
鈥淎ddiction Policy 2025+: A Path Towards a Sustainable and Healthy Czech Republic鈥�, which formulates seven key principles for future addiction policy. The memorandum emphasises data-driven regulation, harm reduction, respect for human rights, accessible prevention and treatment services, and transparent policymaking, while drawing attention to the substantial societal costs associated with addictive behaviours.

The initiative was represented by Michael Fanta, who contributed to the expert discussion and presented the Tobacco Harm Index (THI). His presentation introduced the THI as a composite monitoring tool designed to track the societal consequences of smoking over time and illustrated how such tools can support rational policy design, continuous evaluation, and public communication in addiction policy.

The conference also included a political debate with candidates for the Czech Parliament, underscoring the importance of a systematic and long-term strategy for addiction policy that balances public health protection, proportional regulation, and social sustainability. The event concluded with a call to strengthen cross-sector cooperation and support the implementation of evidence-based policy recommendations in the Czech Republic.

Presentation: Tobacco Harm Index 鈥� Monitoring the Societal Consequences of Smoking (link to presentation)

Gallery: [photos from the event]