The economic law of supply and demand dictates that when supply increases in the market, the price of a good (even if it is illegal) falls.

Data collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime from member states shows that Albania has the lowest prices in the region for hashish and cocaine, while having the highest prevalence of lifetime users.

For most experts, this comes for several reasons in Albania. First, we are considered a country of origin for cannabis and a transit country for cocaine. Most of the drug is intended to pass through to Europe, but a quantity remains in the country, thus increasing the supply and reducing the price.

Second, the purchasing power in Albania is low and users do not have the opportunity to buy expensive drugs. According to experts, this factor has brought the very poor quality that circulates in the country.

Compared to the region, Albania has the highest prevalence of lifetime use of cannabis and cocaine, especially for the latter, the prevalence is the highest in the world.

According to UNODC data, where comparable data can be found for all countries in the region, for every individual who has tried cocaine at least once in their lifetime, there are 25 individuals in Albania in Serbia.

Of comparable data for countries in the region in terms of cannabis, we rank second only to Croatia for lifetime use.

Meanwhile, low prices risk turning Albania into a destination for cheap drugs. According to the World Drug Report, black market prices for illegal substances are much lower than the regional average, especially for cocaine./monitor