Latvia has failed to achieve any of the three key performance targets set for reducing alcohol and drug use during the 2023–2025 implementation period, according to an information report prepared by the Ministry of Health (MoH) evaluating the country’s addiction prevention plan.
The plan included 35 measures, of which 19 (54.3%) were fully implemented, seven (20%) were partially completed, and nine (25.7%) were not implemented at all. Overall, the Ministry assessed the implementation of the plan as only partially successful.
One of the plan’s objectives was to reduce the proportion of working-age adults engaging in risky alcohol consumption from 39.8% in 2020 to 39% by 2025. However, the latest Ministry data show that the figure instead increased to 41.6% in 2024.
The report defines risky alcohol consumption as drinking more than 60 grams of pure alcohol on a single occasion at least once during the previous 12 months or within the past month.
The Ministry noted that
many of the measures included in the plan were not designed to directly reduce risky drinking behaviour.
Meanwhile, restrictions on alcohol advertising and availability were introduced only in the second half of 2025, meaning their impact could not yet be reflected in the reporting period.
The target of preventing an increase in drug use among the working-age population was also missed. The plan aimed to reduce the proportion of people aged 15–64 who had used illicit drugs during the previous year from 4.5% in 2020 to 4.4% by 2025. Instead, the figure rose to 5.5%.
According to the Ministry, the increase is largely attributable to experimentation with drugs, while the prevalence of recent and current drug use has remained relatively stable. The share of current users has remained at approximately the same level as in 2020, with no significant changes across age groups or between men and women.
Based on Latvia’s population figures, the Ministry estimates that
approximately 57,000 to 72,000 residents may have used illicit drugs during the past year.
The highest prevalence of drug use was recorded among people aged 15–24 and 25–34, where around 10% reported use. Men continue to use most illicit substances more frequently than women.
The Ministry also failed to achieve its target of reducing emergency rehospitalisations of patients with substance use disorders within 30 days of discharge by 15%. The rehospitalisation rate declined from 5.62% in 2019 to 5.24% in 2025, representing a relative decrease of only 6.8%.
In 2019, 498 patients with substance use disorders were hospitalised, with 28 requiring emergency readmission within 30 days.
By 2025, the number of hospitalised patients had increased to 706,
of whom 37 were readmitted within the same period.
The Ministry explained that progress was limited because several planned measures aimed at improving access to treatment and ensuring continuity of care were never implemented. Due to insufficient funding, initiatives such as expanding the Minnesota treatment programme, increasing pharmaceutical reimbursement and providing multidisciplinary inpatient addiction treatment were either only partially implemented or not introduced at all.
The Ministry identified the lack of additional government funding as one of the principal reasons for the plan’s incomplete implementation. As a result, several measures—particularly those related to expanding addiction treatment services and developing multidisciplinary outpatient and inpatient care—were either postponed or implemented only within existing budget constraints.
The least progress was made in inpatient treatment. None of the three planned measures in this area was fully completed: two were not implemented at all, while one was only partially achieved. Planned improvements included expanding access to multidisciplinary inpatient addiction treatment and increasing the availability of the Minnesota inpatient psychotherapy programme.
Greater progress was achieved in prevention.
For example, the Unplugged prevention programme was adapted and piloted in 20 schools, while teacher training has also begun. The programme targets students aged 12 to 14 and consists of 12 interactive lessons delivered over 12 weeks during one school year. It is based on the social influence approach and focuses on strengthening life skills such as critical thinking, decision-making, cooperation and resistance to harmful behaviours.
Preparations have also been completed for piloting the PAX Good Behaviour Game, a prevention programme designed for pupils in Grades 1–3. The programme is integrated into everyday classroom teaching without interrupting the curriculum and aims to reduce disruptive behaviour while strengthening children’s social-emotional skills and positive learning habits.
The Ministry emphasises that the impact of these programmes on substance use among children and young people can only be properly assessed over a longer period of time.
The report concludes that
general awareness campaigns and isolated educational activities alone are insufficient
to produce lasting behavioural change. In the future, Latvia should invest in systematic, evidence-based parenting support programmes as well as communication strategies tailored to young audiences through social media and other digital platforms.
The Ministry also notes that the relatively short implementation period limited the plan’s effectiveness. Several structural reforms were still in the implementation or pilot phase by the end of the reporting period. As a result, it recommends that the next national policy planning document on addiction prevention cover a longer timeframe.
According to the Ministry, alcohol and drug use patterns have also been influenced by the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in people’s lifestyles and psychological well-being, geopolitical uncertainty, and the growing use of digital platforms for the distribution and purchase of illicit substances.
The Ministry stresses that reducing substance abuse requires a long-term, cross-sectoral approach that combines prevention, restrictions on substance availability, early identification of risk, treatment, rehabilitation and social support. Given the close relationship between addiction and mental health, it also proposes considering a unified national policy framework covering both addiction and mental health in the future.
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