Reading time: 2 minutes
The second day of the MCC Budapest Summit focused on the global drug crisis through a series of keynotes and panels touching on personal testimony, international security, organized crime, and the social costs of addiction.
The morning opened with Gábor Kucsera, world champion Hungarian kayaker, who delivered a candid address on overcoming drug addiction. Reflecting on his own descent after the Beijing Olympics, he urged young people to recognize early warning signs and emphasized the importance of guidance, responsibility, and Hungary’s zero-tolerance approach to drugs.
A global perspective followed from Martn Verrier, Argentina’s Secretary of State for the Fight Against Drugs and Organized Crime. Verrier warned that cocaine production has reached historic highs, criminal networks increasingly cooperate across borders, and extremist groups profit from the drug trade. He called for stronger enforcement, reduced supply, and robust anti–money laundering measures.
The featured talk by Alex Berenson, author and former New York Times reporter, examined the mental-health and societal effects of cannabis legalization. Berenson highlighted rising addiction, high-potency THC products, links to psychosis, and the failure of legalization to deliver promised public-health or fiscal benefits.
In the afternoon, Panel III: “Migration and Organized Crime: Stopping Narcotics Networks” examined how migration routes intersect with drug-trafficking systems. The panel included Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor at the Counter Extremism Project; Andrea Bianchi, Author, Education Officer at MCC Brussels; Viktor Marsai, Executive Director of the Migration Research Institute; Xavier Raufer, Criminologist, Essayist; and Andrej Protić, Major in the Serbian Police. Yann Caspar, Researcher at the Center for European Studies at MCC, moderated the discussion.
The day concluded with Panel IV: “From Clinic to Courtroom: Understanding the Human Costs of Drug Abuse,” featuring Ashley Frawley, Sociologist, Author, Visiting Research Fellow at MCC Brussels; Georgina Kiss-Kozma, Deputy Director of the Youth Research Institute; Paul J. Larkin, Senior Legal Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation; András Székely, Senior Research Fellow at the Kopp Mária Institute; and Tom Wolf, Director of West Coast Initiatives at the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions. The panel addressed youth vulnerability, fentanyl’s impact, social disconnection, and paths toward recovery.
