Narcotic Substance Abuse among Minors in Albania during 2020-2024

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Andrin Tahiri, Migena Vargu, Ejona Shaska-Zilja, Engjellushe Zenelaj, Ermelinda Durmishi, Taulant Gishto, Edvaldo Begotaraj, Petrit Vargu

 
For citation: Tahiri A, Vargu M, Shaska-Zilja E, Zenelaj E, Durmishi E, Gishto T, Begotaraj E, Vargu P. Narcotic Substance Abuse among Minors in Albania during 2020-2024. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2025;15(4):722-726. doi:10.21103/Article15(4)_OA12
 
Originally published December 5, 2025

Abstract: 

Background: The use of narcotic substances among minors represents an increasing public health concern in Albania and globally, carrying significant physical and mental health consequences. The goal of this study was to provide clinical and epidemiological evidence of psychoactive substance use among minors to inform national policy, optimize preventive strategies, and enhance therapeutic frameworks tailored to youth at risk in Albania.
Methods and Results: This study employed a retrospective observational design and was conducted at the Clinical Toxicology Service of the University Hospital Centre “Mother Teresa” in Tirana. The study included all patients who were treated for confirmed or suspected of intoxication by psychoactive substances from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2024. Data were collected from clinical records and included types of substances used, treatment provided, and demographic factors. A total of 1,032 patients were treated for psychoactive substance intoxication. Among them, 27(2.6%) were minors (<18 years), while 1,005 (97.4%) were adults. Among minors, 25(92.6%) were male and 26(96.3%) resided in urban areas. The majority of minors, 18(66.7%), lived in Tirana prefecture. Among minors, cannabis was the most prevalent substance used (37.0%), followed by opioids (22.2%), polysubstances (22.2%), and cocaine (18.5%). No alcohol-only intoxications were recorded among minors. A significantly higher proportion of minors had cannabis-related intoxication than did adults (37.0% vs. 5.7%), while cocaine use was more common among adults (39.1% vs. 18.5%). These differences were statistically significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion: This study highlights the urgent need to address narcotic substance use among minors in Albania.  Strengthening national surveillance systems and integrating mental health services into prevention efforts will be key to protecting vulnerable populations and shaping effective policy responses.

Keywords: 
Albania • minors • narcotic substances • substance abuse • toxicology
References: 
  1. Charrier L, van Dorsselaer S, Canale N, et al. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: International Report from the 2021-2022 Survey. WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2024.
  2. Chen CY, Storr CL, Anthony JC. Early-onset drug use and risk for drug dependence problems. Addict Behav. 2009 Mar;34(3):319-22. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.10.021. Epub 2008 Nov 1. PMID: 19022584; PMCID: PMC2677076.
  3. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction: European Drug Report. 2024, Trends and Developments. Available at: https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/european-drug-report/2024_en (accessed: 11 July 2025).      
  4. Yang J, Mejia MC, Sacca L, et al. Cannabis use among adolescents: trends and outcomes from. 20112021, 2024:872-879. doi: 10.3390/pediatric16040074.           
  5. ESPAD Group: ESPAD Report 2019: Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Luxembourg; 2019.
  6. ESPAD Group. ESPAD Report 2015: Results from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Luxembourg; 2015.
  7. Tuvel AL, Winiger EA, Ross JM. A Review of the Effects of Adolescent Cannabis Use on Physical Health. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2023 Jan;32(1):85-105. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2022.07.005. Epub 2022 Oct 22. PMID: 36410908; PMCID: PMC10165991.
  8. George T, Vaccarino F (Eds). The Effects of Cannabis Use During Adolescence. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; 2015.          
  9. Caffino L, Mottarlini F, Zita G, Gawliński D, Gawlińska K, Wydra K, Przegaliński E, Fumagalli F. The effects of cocaine exposure in adolescence: Behavioural effects and neuroplastic mechanisms in experimental models. Br J Pharmacol. 2022 Sep;179(17):4233-4253. doi: 10.1111/bph.15523. Epub 2021 Jun 8. PMID: 33963539; PMCID: PMC9545182.
  10. Ryan SA. Cocaine Use in Adolescents and Young Adults. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019 Dec;66(6):1135-1147. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.014. PMID: 31679603.
  11. Volkow ND, Han B, Compton WM, Blanco C. Marijuana Use During Stages of Pregnancy in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2017 May 16;166(10):763-764. doi: 10.7326/L17-0067. Epub 2017 Apr 18. PMID: 28418460; PMCID: PMC6984759.
  12. Hall W, Lynskey M. Evaluating the public health impacts of legalizing recreational cannabis use in the United States. Addiction. 2016 Oct;111(10):1764-73. doi: 10.1111/add.13428. Epub 2016 Jun 7. PMID: 27082374.
  13. Hadland SE, Levy S. Objective Testing: Urine and Other Drug Tests. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2016 Jul;25(3):549-65. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2016.02.005. Epub 2016 Mar 30. PMID: 27338974; PMCID: PMC4920965.
  14. Patrick ME, Terry-McElrath YM, Miech RA, Keyes KM, O'Malley PM. Alcohol use and marijuana use in adolescents: comparison of associations with behavior and academic outcomes. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2017;78:65-74. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2017.78.65.
  15. Atli A, Unluoglu I, Akalin H, Sahin F. Characteristics of pediatric poisoning cases in a university hospital in Turkey. Cureus 2022;14:21234. doi: 10.7759/cureus.21234.
  16. Borsari A, Schiavone M, Siracusa C, et al. Cocaine intoxication in adolescents: retrospective analysis of cases from an emergency unit in Eastern Europe. Cureus 2023;15:39645. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39645.          
  17. Swendsen J, Burstein M, Case B, Conway KP, Dierker L, He J, Merikangas KR. Use and abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs in US adolescents: results of the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012 Apr;69(4):390-8. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1503. PMID: 22474107; PMCID: PMC3746542.
  18. Schulenberg JE, Maggs JL. A developmental perspective on alcohol use and heavy drinking during adolescence and the transition to young adulthood. J Stud Alcohol Suppl. 2002 Mar;(14):54-70. doi: 10.15288/jsas.2002.s14.54. PMID: 12022730.
  19. Ellickson PL, Tucker JS, Klein DJ. High-risk behaviors associated with early smoking: results from a 5-year follow-up. J Adolesc Health. 2001 Jun;28(6):465-73. doi: 10.1016/s1054-139x(00)00202-0. PMID: 11377990.
  20. NIDA. Monitoring the Future Survey: High School and Youth Trends. National Institute on Drug Abuse; 2023. 
  21. Rakić B, Stojanović M, Todorović D, et al. Cannabis-induced psychosis in adolescents: Case series from Serbia. Cureus 2023;15:44891. doi: 10.7759/cureus.44891.
  22. Bencheikh RS, Abidi A, Jidane M, et al. Pediatric emergency admissions for recreational drug toxicity in North Africa: A 5-year retrospective study. Cureus 2023;15:51002. doi: 10.7759/cureus.51002.
  23. Fitzsimons E, Villadsen A. Risky behaviours among 17-year-olds: findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. London: UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies; 2021.        
  24. Gil AG, Wagner EF, Tubman JG. Associations between early-adolescent substance use and subsequent young-adult substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders among a multiethnic male sample in South Florida. Am J Public Health. 2004 Sep;94(9):1603-9. doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.9.1603. PMID: 15333322; PMCID: PMC1448501.

Download Article
Received July 21, 2025.
Accepted September 1, 2025.
©2025 International Medical Research and Development Corporation.