Concern: Drugs killed 97 Kosovars, over two thousand young people are dependent on it

The data has revealed it in an interview for EconomyOnline, Safet Bakaj, executive director and founder of the NGO, “Labyrinth”, which has shown about the number of deaths, the most frequent types of drugs used in Kosovo, as well as the prevention of their use.

Blakaj says the number of people dead from drug use has moved from year to year, while disturbing remains the year 2011 where 17 cases of death have been recorded.

“97 people have died from drug use, this figure, and I only talk about people who are registered in our database. It's been a major concern in 2009-2012 after a large number of mortality. The year, mostly posthumous, was 2011 17 cases, in 2016 there were a few cases four, in 2018 there were 7 cases”, he says.

The following years, according to Blakaj, will be even more difficult, because the use of the most dangerous drugs will begin.

The risks that await us for the three years or five that are the new drugs that are called "New Desing Drugs" that are expected to be used in Kosovo, and the phenomenon of multiple drug use, these are especially overdosive and those drugs used at the psychiatrists pose a multi” problem, Blakay said.

The number of drug users, according to him, amounts to 25 thousand. Meanwhile, regular registered users in its centre are 2370 people.

It's a rough number here at the Lebyrinth Center that are registered as drug users so those who have a serious drug problem, not those who use time and time. There are some 2370 to this day from 2002”, he says.

According to him, the most dangerous drug that causes powerful and fast dependence is heroin.

The use of heroin here in Kosovo has been markedly reduced by 2012, this is very good news but it's growing the use of marijuana especially among young people or children, and second drugs is cocaine that is rapidly increasing its number”.

While he says the number of drug users by women especially marijuana and cocaine is disturbing.

And when a person starts using drugs according to the age of Blakay, he has shown that compared with the previous years, now the age group that begins the use is 16.3, and years ago he was 21.4.

The Gjinia by 2010-2011 has been 7.6 % female, while the last 2-3 years have increased more the use of drugs in women specifically marijuana and cocaine”.

The average age remains 16 years old.

And the last <x0 years of middle age when they started using drugs were 16.2, if we compare it 10 years ago that it was 21.4 years old, that's the big difference in age and that's what we think it might have dropped even the very beginning of drug use”, Blakay said.

Asked whether certain types of drugs should be legalised, he has said there should be derimination, meaning that against young users not to open criminal cases.

“derimination and support, it does not take someone to have possession of his own type of marijuana to open a criminal case. This really hurts the future of the young people who are fighting these types of drugs can present a problem to me between 10 and 15 years when something reaches his life then the files remain”, he said.

According to Blakaj, the biggest problem is the prevention of drug use, especially among young people, as there is no programme for managing and controlling these cases in Kosovo.