Press Release: Recent 2019 EMCCD Report on Drug Use in Romania

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction released a new report on drug use in Romania in 2019.

According to the report, the use of illicit substances among adults is lower than in other Europe and was increasing during the period 2004-2016.

Cannabis is still the most commonly used drug, especially among 15-34 years old young adults. Females report cannabis use less frequently than males.

2.5 percent of adult Romanians tried at least ones in their lives NPS (new psychoactive substances). Those are a range of drugs that include cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and LSD. Among your people, regular use of NPS is rare.

The surveys conducted by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) report that cannabis is the most popular among students and its use among 15-16 years old students increased since 1999. However, the lifetime use of cannabis, sedatives or tranquilizers is lower than in other Europe.

The study, along with data on first-time visits to no-cost addiction help facility along with private drug treatment centers, can help identify the extent of more deep-seated drug use problems, and also understand the trends and nature in high-risk drug use.

Data from free rehabs show that in 2017 in Bucharest, the number of people who inject drugs (PWID) was close to 9 000. Heroin was a primary drug for 9 out of 10 people entering treatment.

As a group of new psychoactive substances appeared in Romania in the last decades, the patterns of drug use also changed. Now, around 5 percent of PWID report NPS as their primary substance.

During 2019, the number of first-time treatment clients for heroin use increased along with entrants for cannabis. Around 9 out of 10 free rehab clients in Romania are males; although, it varies by the type of program and substance used.

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