The number of cocaine users in Kosovo is on the rise, especially processed types of "crack cocaine"

According to the data of the counseling and addiction treatment center "Labyrinth", there are about 30,000 drug users in Kosovo, and 10,000 of them are considered problematic or addicted, which means that they use narcotics more than three times a week. What worries doctors and centers dealing with the treatment of drug addicts is the processed type of "crack cocaine", Koha reports.

The center says that the number of cocaine users has increased in recent years, but "Labyrinth" is even more concerned about the processing of the cocaine drug, which is used for crack cocaine.

A user of the substance, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that crack could be used in coffee shops, on the streets, and anywhere else and not be noticed while being consumed, as it was done by smoking.

"They can't get enough. They spend days without sleep, it happens for 4-5 days just by getting up. If you have 5 grams, you won't sleep until you drink them," he said.

He regrets the path he chose but continues to consume it.

"Don't go down this road, I can tell you it's a dead-end. There comes a time when drugs take over you, your body and psyche, and you can't control it anymore – it controls you now. It is very bad dirt", he added.

Muharrem Ademi, an expert in addiction diseases at the "Labyrinth" center, says that the number of drug users is growing rapidly.

"There is a very rapid increase in cocaine users, and a new trend that we could notice, especially in the last two years, is the increase in the number of users of crack or 'freebase cocaine'. Crack is a very creative drug that causes addiction, in other words, it is a very powerful stimulant whose effects and consequences are quite dangerous," Ademi said.

Psychiatrist Nusret Agani indicates that the consumption of crack cocaine by inhalation is one of the forms that is quickly absorbed into the blood and addiction increases in this form.

"Changes in thinking affect the part where we can have experiences that do not match reality. Strong inner insecurity, loss of appetite, or chronic insomnia can also appear," Agani said.

Samire Gashi - Braina, head of the Addictions Department of the Clinic for Psychiatry, says that this department has been offering detoxification treatment since 2005, a way of treating drug addicts. According to her, this procedure has been performed on 150 patients so far.

In the period 2019-2022, the police arrested 306 people for using or distributing cocaine. The largest seizure amount happened in 2021 when around 400 kg of cocaine was seized in Lipljan.