site.btaCannabis, Synthetic Drugs Most Used among Teenagers in Bulgaria, Customs Agency Data Shows

Cannabis and synthetics are the most used drugs among teenagers in Bulgaria, said the head of the Department for Combating Drug Trafficking of the Customs Agency Stefan Bakalov during the customs campaign against drugs "You are not alone".

Statistics show that Bulgarian teenagers use marijuana most often, with synthetic drugs coming second, which is quite worrying because the latter cause severe addictions, Bakalov said.

The dangers are many, he warned. Apart from the hundreds of new drugs, there are also the ways they are offered, the approach by drug dealers, and the possibilities of Internet platforms, including TikTok, which are also used to get youths hooked, Bakalov said.

He explained that the aim of the department's campaign is to inform children and show them that they are responsible for the choices they make.

Through social networks, various drugs are presented as safe and harmless, bringing only pleasure, and nothing is being said of the harm, said the director of the Customs Agency Georgi Dimov.

He assured that his institution is ready to prepare a plan to be introduced in schools to combat drugs. Dimov explained that the agency cannot tackle the problem alone.

Addiction in any form is disastrous, said National Revenue Agency (NRA) Executive Director Rumen Spetsov.

The patron of the campaign, Mayor of Dimitrovgrad Ivo Dimov, stressed that this initiative should be a cause of the whole society. In the municipality of Dimitrovgrad there are six to seven cases a year related to the distribution and use of drugs, he said.

Tuesday’s campaign included a talk and discussion with students from Dimitrovgrad, followed by a demonstration of customs dogs specially trained to detect drugs and a music show by Torino and Pashata.

In 2022, a total of 923 drug addicts or abusers were enrolled in psychosocial rehabilitation programmes in Sofia and the country, according to the Ministry of Health.