Background: The repeated administration of an addictive substance by means of the same injecting equipment increases the risk of health complications (such as abscesses and infections). The sharing of syringes is one of the factors contributing to the spread of infectious diseases among drug users and, subsequently, among the wider (non-injecting) non-using population. By selling insulin sets, pharmacies help reduce the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases among problem drug users and, consequently, in the general population. This research is a substudy of the project “The Role of Pharmacies in the Prevention of Infectious Diseases among Injecting Drug Users”. Aims: To obtain 1) an overview of the injecting drug scene in pharmacies and 2) of the injecting material supplied, as well as to ascertain 3) the capacity and willingness of pharmacists to implement other addiction treatment services in pharmacies in the Czech Republic. Design: Questionnaire survey carried out in pharmacies in selected areas of the Czech Republic; questionnaires were administered by post / electronically / by an interviewer. Setting: Pharmacies and detached dispensaries (“pharmacies”) in the Czech Republic. Participants: Pharmacist s from 310 pharmacies in randomly selected administrative areas and city districts in Prague and Brno. Findings: Drug users visit 87.7 % of the pharmacies, 73.2 % in the last week under observation. A total of 54 % of IDUs were aged 20 – 30. The estimated men-to-women ratio was approximately 2.6:1. No syringes and needles are sold by 31 % of the pharmacies. Used injecting material is not collected by 59.4 % of the pharmacies. A total of 41.6 % of the pharmacists can think of more intensive work (including the distribution of information leaflets and referrals to other services) with drug users. 84.8 % of the pharmacists are aware of the existence of low threshold services in their regions, but only 17.1 % have established liaison with such services. Conclusions: On the basis of the findings, it is recommended that new forms of addiction treatment services be introduced in pharmacies in the Czech Republic and / or that the existing forms of such services be extended. A questionnaire survey has been found to be a suitable and effective method for the collection of data about the drug situation and the population of (injecting) drug users in the Czech republic.

Key words: pharmacies – low threshold services – injecting drug use – infectious disease – syringes