Drug addiction in Turkey climbed to nearly 15 million people in 2025, up from more than 10 million a year earlier, according to the World Federation for Combating Drugs (DUYUMFED), the Gazete Oksijen news website reported.
Halit Toprak, president of DUYUMFED, a nongovernmental organization based in Turkey, said the age of first drug use has fallen to around 12, adding that drug use among minors under 18 has become widespread.
Toprak claimed that about 90 percent of users under 18 are drawn into drug networks through coercion or manipulation, saying children and young people are first made dependent on drugs and later exploited for criminal activities.
Turkey, which has a population of about 85 million, has long been a transit route for drug trafficking between Asia and Europe and has faced ongoing challenges related to enforcement, treatment capacity and youth vulnerability.
