Crimes related to new psychoactive substances in rural segregates of Miskolc in Hungary

Abstract

Aim: The article examines the relationship between new psychoactive drugs and segregation in one city (Miskolc), showing the mechanism of its effects. The study indicates that deprived social milieu, poverty, and hopelessness are excellent breeding grounds for this new form of drug crime by structuring drug crime into a crime involving new psychoactive substances (NPS), affordable for the poorer classes, and classic drugs.
Methodology: Given the purpose of the research, the study was based primarily on literature and historical data, a review of legal sources, and an analysis of police headquarters case statistics and CSO data. The regulatory efforts of urban decision-makers to address the problem have also been analyzed. With regard to the purpose of the research, the study was based primarily on literature and historical data, a review of legal sources, and analysis of police headquarters case statistics and CSO data. The regulatory efforts made by city policymakers to address the problem were also analyzed.
Findings: New psychoactive drugs target slums, thus structuring the drug market. The poor have easy access to NPS, while the wealthier classes turn to classic drugs (cocaine, MDMA, etc.). The presence of NPS in a given area alters the crime trend and perpetuates underdevelopment. In the long term, it slows down improvement. Law enforcement and judicial instruments are not sufficient to address and reduce it. In addition, the law threatens to lower penalties for dealing in NPS so that even the risk premium is not built into the price of such substances, ensuring easy access for the impoverished. Meanwhile, such chemicals' health and social dangers are at least if not higher than those of traditional drugs.
Value: The results may be helpful for city policymakers, crime prevention professionals, and police management. The study has the potential to inform the broader scientific community about the complex dangers of NPS. The study can be an essential starting point for further research into new phenomena of drug crime and the extent of health and social harm associated with new psychoactive substances. As well as to develop new methods and criminological recommendations for law enforcement.