Drug use in Bulgaria has increased by 30% in the past 5 years

Nearly 13% of Bulgaria’s Population Has Used Drugs at Least Once, with Usage Rising by 30% in the Last 5 Years

According to a study by the National Center for Public Health, nearly 13% of the population in Bulgaria has used some form of drugs at least once. Over the past five years, the use of these substances has increased significantly, rising by 30%. This was highlighted during a conference held in the Bulgarian National Assembly, where experts also drew attention to the increasingly younger age at which students begin drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

Students' confession about smoking and vaping:

“Nicotine products like snus, vapes, and cigarettes are easy to find. A lot of my friends, and generally the environment I am in, smoke, and I sometimes smoke too. Some stores don’t even ask for an ID. Or you can just ask someone who is 18 to buy them for you."

More than 30% of students have tried smoking cigarettes, and over 40% had their first cigarette at the age of 14 or 15. More than half of the students are regular smokers, with more girls smoking compared to boys. However, their attention is increasingly shifting towards new tobacco products.

“Over 10% of students use e-cigarettes, and almost 17% smoke hookah. In 2024, 36 new psychoactive substances were identified in Bulgaria,” said Nataliya Kiselova, Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament.

The average age for trying alcohol for the first time is also dropping, with students now starting at 13 years old. Nearly 50% of high school students report drinking alcohol.

In 2005, only 5% of the population used drugs, but by 2020, this number rose to 9.5%. In the past four years, the figure has sharply increased to 13% of the population aged 15-64.

"Everyone knows it's bad, but I think it's mostly out of curiosity, or some people may have problems in their families or their lives," said one student.

"Maybe someone tried it once just to see how it feels, and then became addicted," shared another.

“One of my friends ended up in the hospital because of marijuana. He bought it from an online seller, got five packs for 120 BGN, and then passed out,” students commented.

“There has been a 30% increase in drug use in the country over the past 4 years. The leading cause is curiosity—63% of people want to try something new. 35% use drugs for pleasure. 21% have nothing else to do and just use drugs out of boredom. These people need to be engaged in something else so they don’t get bored,” explained Professor Plamen Dimitrov, Director of the National Centre for Public Health and Analyses.

At the same time, the Speaker of Parliament emphasised that these issues do not have a political colour.

"This is an issue that we need to start talking about much more seriously and not casually because we are facing serious threats not only to the health but also to the lives of our children and adolescents. This means a serious threat to the health of the nation. And this, of course, is also a threat to national security," said Nataliya Kiselova.

"We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" proposes an Ad-Hoc Committee to improve policies in this area.

“Every country that wants to have a future must make efforts to reduce the negative consequences of the spread and use of narcotic and psychoactive substances,” said Vasili Pandov, an MP from WCC-DB.

“There needs to be a national programme and concept for how to teach young people to live healthily. All these substances, including alcohol and cigarettes, harm not only the individual but society as a whole,” noted Hussein Hafizov, a deputy from the "MRF-New Beginning".

Lawmakers also called for more awareness campaigns in schools.