The number of young people aged between 15 and 19 using light and hard drugs in Bulgaria has doubled.

State Agency for Youth and Sports (SAYS) referred to research of Mediana agency which says that 25 per cent of young people in Bulgaria have used marijuana and two per cent have tried hard drugs. This number is expected to grow.

Research divided young people into two groups. Nearly 85 per cent receive good education and chance for development and the rest remain isolated, illiterate and poor.

A total of 85 per cent of young people have mobile phones and 43 per cent have computers at home. Many of them can freely use new technologies which helps them in their future realisation and job finding, the report said report as quoted by Darik Radio.

SAYS said that the number of uneducated people who do not have access to social services was growing, and with it, the number of people prone to drug use.

According to Mediana’s prognosis, within 15 years, 20 to 15 per cent of Bulgarian young people will be of Roma origin. This number is expected to grow to 50 per cent within 20 years.

Mediana’s managing director Kolyo Kolev said that the living conditions would make large part of those young people outsiders.