Over 35 thousand drug users in Kosovo, starting age drops to 16

In response, Kosovo is reportedly facing numerous challenges in preventing and treating children victims of narcotics abuse.

The last “years are estimated to have exceeded the total number of users by 35 000, while children and teenagers continue to participate each year and more in this figure. Based on Labyrinth's database, the average age of drug use has dropped from 18 years in 2018 to 16 years in the last period”, said in response.

It further becomes known that marijuana continues to be the most used substance in Kosovo.

While there has been a decrease in heroin use in general populations by 2018, in recent years there is a slight increase in heroin users in especially the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities, while there is a rapid and enormous increase in cocaine use in the general population.

The reasons why children start using drugs are many, including the availability of drugs in the market, early childhood trauma, lack of information about the dangers of drug use, social pressure, and the curiosity of trying new things, etc. Drug use brings harmful consequences to the child, the family, including physical and psychological health damage, social problems, crime, large financial expenses, etc.

Our country continues to provide no structured and sustainable prevention and rehabilitation programs that are more than necessary in view of increased drug use trends from children and teenagers. Kosovo does not provide enough immediate services to identify children and young people who are victims of narcotics abuse. There are shortages of community mobile services and teams that would enable testing and identifying possible cases of children using narcotics”, said further in response.

KOMF and Labyrinth stress that professionals are facing major challenges in treating children who are victims of drug abuse.

They do not possess the necessary resources, including multidisciplinary, special children's departments, to implement specialised plans and programmes for rehabilitation. Professionals do not have the resources needed to support parents or stewards in treating and supporting their children who are victims of drug abuse”.

According to these organisations, to address this alarming situation, urgent measures to raise awareness of the dangers of drug use are essential.

Developing structured programmes for the prevention and treatment of narcotics addiction in Kosovo and the development of specialised services for the treatment of children and youth drug users is also required.

“Attention should focus on young and teenage people to avoid their early start with the use of drugs. Also, it is important to develop programs to empower parents of children users of drugs to increase their child care capacities to drug users”, said further.