Use of illicit drugs among young adults in post-conflict society Kosovo 2002-2013

This is a Health in Humanitarian Crisis Centre seminar, hosted at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

This seminar titled “Use of Illicit Drugs among Young Adults in Post-Conflict Society, Kosovo 2002-2013” explains trends of illicit drug use among young adults between the period 2002- 2013 and intersections between changes in the social, economic and political aspects in Kosovo.

In the past decade, Kosovo has gone through difficult political and socio-economic changes. Factors such as changes in political and socio-economic aspects are suggested explanations to have contributed to an increase of use of illicit drugs.  The use of illicit drugs is studied in a sample of patients who sought treatment at NGO Labyrinth for drug addiction in the period 2002-2013. A total of 1001 patients were interviewed using a questionnaire that gathered data on the history of drug use and demographics. Analyses regarding their demographics, type of drugs, onset use, injecting drug use, overdose and drug related deaths are all presented in this study.  Evidence from Labyrinth data have shown an increase in the number of people who started using drugs in the period 2000-2001, which corresponds with the end of the war and the introduction of substantial political and socio-economic changes in Kosovo.

Image credit: Vegim Zhitija