Exploring Adolescent Drug Usage Trends and Associated Health Implications in North Macedonia

A detailed analysis approach is used in this study to look into the complicated world of teen drug use and it’s health effects in North Macedonia. The study uses quantitative data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) 2019 along with reports from reputable medical and forensic institutions to try to give a more complete picture of how drug abuse affects students in the region who are 15 to 16 years old. Besides the poll results, information from institutional records also helps to show how complicated the drug-related problems in the area really are. The University Clinic for Toxicology and Emergency Medicine in Skopje is a very important source of information because it shows trends of how often crises happen and the drugs that are most often linked to them, such as heroin, methadone, buprenorphine, and opioid painkillers. The study also looks at how teens think about drug availability and finds a worrying trend in how easy teens think it is to get drugs like cocaine and synthetic chemicals compared to regional rates. The results make it clear that focused measures are needed to lessen the bad health effects of drug abuse among teens in North Macedonia. The fact that opioids and cocaine are so common in drug-related deaths highlights the urgent need for evidence-based methods to prevent drug abuse. The study also stresses how important it is to improve the ways data is collected and the abilities of institutions in order to make tracking and reaction systems stronger. By shedding light on the complicated relationship between drug use between teens and health effects, this study aims to inform policies that will improve the health of teens in North Macedonia.