Ecstasy And Methamphetamine Increasingly Becoming First Choice Drugs For Many In East And South-East Asia According To New UNODC Report

According to a new UNODC report,
amphetamine-type stimulants - or ATS - in particular methamphetamine, are
widely used in East and South-East Asia and are now ranked among the
top-three drugs of use in every single one of the 11 countries reviewed.
Moreover, in some East and South-East Asian countries, ATS have become the
primary drug threat, displacing traditionally-used drugs such as heroin,
opium or even cannabis.


UNODC's latest ATS report estimates that between a range of 3.4 million and
20.7 million people in the region have used amphetamines in the past year -
a sizeable portion of the estimated 14 million to 53 million global users.
This is worrying in terms of health and law enforcement.


Speaking on the spread of ATS and the marked implications for health and
welfare, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, noted: "The increased
manufacture and use of ATS is a worrying trend and a growing health
challenge for the region. While overall development levels in many
countries are climbing, and the lives of millions are improving, the spread
of ATS use is a sad - and unnecessary - situation and one which must be
tackled with immediate urgency."


The report, "Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Other
Drugs: Asia and the Pacific", provides a consolidated review of the current
developments with regard to the illicit manufacturing, trafficking and use
of ATS in Asia and the Pacific. The study indicates that in recent years
these drugs have become an increasingly widespread health and organized
crime threat in Asia and the Pacific. In South Asia in particular large
licit chemical and pharmaceutical industries offer organized criminal
groups an attractive base from where to manufacture and market ATS.


Developed under the UNODC Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting
and Trends (SMART) Programme, the report highlights the spread of ATS - a
market which includes amphetamine, methamphetamine, methcathinone, and
ecstasy-group substances, and one which generates enormous global revenues.
In East and South-East Asia, ATS have become the leading drugs of use, in
many cases replacing plant-based narcotics which have previously been the
region's drugs of choice.


Another critical issue highlighted in this year's report (as was the case
in 2008) is the continued growth in the use and trafficking of ketamine in
East and South-East Asia. As a cheaper alternative to drugs such as
ecstasy, and with wide availability due to its medical uses, the growth in
this drug is a worrying trend. In 2009, 6.9 metric tons of ketamine were
seized in the region, up from 6.3 metric tons the previous year. About 85
percent of global ketamine seizures were made in East and South-East Asia
in 2009, with the use of this drug reportedly increasing in several
countries and territories, with Hong Kong (SAR) now listing ketamine as its
primary drug of use.


Regrettably, drug treatment services for users of ATS and other synthetic
drugs in many parts of Asia and the Pacific are under-resourced and unable
to keep up with the increasing number of ATS users. Most drug treatment
services in the region are still aimed at users of heroin, opium and
cannabis despite this shift toward ATS use. In Cambodia and Japan for
instance, 50 percent of drug users in the country's drug treatment centres
receive treatment for methamphetamines, while in the Philippines the figure
sits at 59 percent. In Thailand, 82 percent - or more than 4 out of every 5
drug users who received drug treatment in 2009 - were treated for
methamphet-amine pill use.















Home to roughly one-third of the world's population, East and South-East
Asia's heightened prosperity and accelerated movement of persons, trade and
goods has, in recent years, lifted millions out of poverty. Unfortunately,
the liberalization and trade and the reduced transportation costs have also
led to increased opportunities for criminal organizations, including the
production and trafficking of illicit drugs. In adjoining South Asia,
where large licit chemical and pharmaceutical industries exist, there is
significant demand by organized crime groups for the precursor chemicals
used to produce ATS.


Speaking at the launch of the report in Bangkok, Gary Lewis, UNODC Regional
Representative for East Asia and the Pacific stated: "Amphetamine-type
stimulants pose a growing threat to the region. According to our
assessment, the manufacture, trafficking and use of ATS remain at high and
worrying levels. We have seen how the ATS problem has expanded in the
region. It now poses a serious challenge to law enforcement agencies
because the essential chemicals used to produce it are easily sourced.
Also, short supply chains from production to consumer make interdiction
efforts difficult." He also spoke of the public health burden which ATS
use has imposed on society in the region: "We've seen a consistent increase
in the number of people seeking treatment for ATS use. The real problem is
that drug treatment services for ATS users in most countries are
under-resourced. Because of this they are unable to keep pace with the
high demand."


The report was simultaneously launched in Tokyo and Bangkok.
Unlike plant-based crops that are dependent on factors including climate
and geography, ATS drugs can be produced in clandestine laboratories using
easily obtainable ingredients and formulas. This ease of establishing
facilities has been witnessed with the movement of these locations from
traditional production areas such as Western Europe to the more lucrative
markets in the developing world.


Background - the Global SMART Programme


UNODC launched the Global Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and
Trends (SMART) Programme in September 2008. The Programme seeks to enhance
the capacity of Member States and authorities in priority regions, to
generate, manage, analyze and report synthetic drug information, and to
apply this scientific evidence-based knowledge to the design of policies
and programmes. The Global SMART Programme is being implemented in a
gradual phased manner, with East and South-East Asia being the first focus
region.


Source:

UNODC