Albania is one of the main countries responsible for cannabis resin entering the EU. It ranks as number six, behind Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Morocco.
This is according to data from the United Nations World Drug Report 2020 and covers the period between 2014-2018.
In Europe, Albania and the Netherlands are the two countries mentioned most as countries of origin, departure and transit of cannabis. The analysis of direct and indirect data for the period highlights a number of countries that are likely to have significant cannabis cultivation in relation to other countries in the region. For Southeast Europe, only Albania is mentioned.
The report found that cannabis resin trafficking was in decline between 2010-2016 but its popularity is now on the increase as of 2018.
Globally, drug use is increasing with an estimated 210 million users, representing 4.8% of the world’s population. Cannabis is the most widely used substance with around 192 million users.
Previous reports from Interpol and the European Centre for Drug Monitoring and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) found that the cultivation of cannabis in Albania is expected to increase. This is due to the focus of law enforcement being shifted to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
