National registries had never reached such a high number of confiscated crack stones.
2016 surpassed the 210 thousand confiscated stones, a record figure in the register started in 1990.
The consumption and distribution of this drug has increased considerably in the last decades, especially in the most vulnerable areas of the country. In May, the press reported on 4 school students who were discovered experimenting with crack in Alajuela.
That news shook the authorities and the Ministry of Security has tried to strengthen efforts to maintain zero crack tolerance.
According to Guillermo Araya, director of the Costa Rican Drug Institute (ICD), operations in areas such as León XIII, Cuadros de Guadalupe and Infiernillo de Alajuela always get the largest number of confiscated crack stones.
For Araya, young people from vulnerable areas of the country are more exposed to these easily accessible drugs that are sold in the neighborhoods at around a thousand colones per dose.
It has a very low cost and a very high level of consumption. It causes a strong dopamine explosion. It goes up very fast but the feeling is over three times faster and the person tries to feel the same again, so the consumption of another dose is almost immediate,”
said the official.
According to Araya, authorities have found evidence of addicts who consumed between 300 and 500 stones in 24 hours.
It is a worrying statistic that highlights the addiction levels of this drug, which causes 5 or 10 minutes of severe depression per every 2 seconds of euphoria,”
explained the director.
On average, Costa Ricans first get in contact with drugs at age 14. However, an ICD study on drugs and crime in penitentiary centers noted that the average age of onset of crack stones in people who committed criminal acts is only 8 years old. In addition, 92% of those consulted did not finish high school.