Illicit Drug use in the Asia Pacific Region - Burnet Institute

Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in the Asia–Pacific region
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2 .6 Laos
Population: 6,068,117
2 .6 .1 Overview of
recent drug trends
Opium remained the most commonly used
drug in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(PDR) until recently . Patterns and numbers
of opium use have remained similar over the
past few years, with typical consumers being
male farmers living in the north and northwest
provinces of the Lao PDR .
Recent evidence points toward a rapid increase
in the use of amphetamine-type substances
(ATS) in the Lao PDR . Young people tend
to prefer ATS over opium . Studies involving
school-based youth reported an average age
of initiation for ATS use being about 16 years
of age . Other studies suggest that ATS is
also commonly consumed by sex workers,
clients at discos, and by unemployed youth in
Vientiane . While cannabis is also used in the
Lao PDR, the extent of its use is unclear .
2 .6 .2 Prevalence of drug use
The overall number of drug users in the
Lao PDR has not been estimated . The Lao
Government estimates that there are currently
about 28,000 opium users . Studies involving
school-based youth suggest that lifetime
prevalence of drug use ranged from about
17 per cent in the capital to about 5 per cent
in the provinces . The same study reported
that 7 per cent of youth surveyed in Vientiane
used an illicit drug at least monthly . Overall,
use of ATS is thought to surpass opium use .
2 .6 .3 Drug supply
Despite continued efforts to eradicate the
cultivation of opium poppies in the Lao
PDR, it remains the third-largest producer of
opium in the world . In 2004, cultivation was
confirmed in 11 out of the 17 provinces in
the Lao PDR . Cannabis is also thought to be
widely produced in the Lao PDR, although,
unlike opium, most is destined to markets
in neighbouring countries or to supply international
networks .
Laos is a transit country for heroin and ATS
as well as equipment and precursor chemicals
used in ATS production . The majority of these
commodities enter from Myanmar and China .
While local production of heroin or ATS has
not been found in recent years, a growing
domestic market and increased regional
law enforcement control preventing drugs
from entering the country suggest that local
production is likely if not already occurring .
2 .6 .4 Drug-taking practices,
risk factors and trends
As stated above, there is increasing use of ATS
in the Lao PDR, especially among urban youth .
The public health ramifications of increased
ATS use are not totally clear; however, there
has been an increase in the number of drugrelated
mental health hospital admissions in
Vientiane recently . There is also speculation
of increased HIV vulnerability associated with
increased sexual risk and ATS use .
2 .6 .5 Summary table
While injecting drug use is thought to be
limited in the Lao PDR, there are increasing
reports of blackwater opium and heroin
injection, and evidence that some groups
are injecting ATS . The most common route
of administration for both opium and ATS
is smoking, although many also report
ingesting ATS .
Estimated number of current drug users Unknown (estimated 50,000–70,000)
Main drugs used Opium, ATS, cannabis and
prescription drugs
Drugs injected Heroin, blackwater opium, ATS
Estimated prevalence of
Unknown
HIV infection among IDUs
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Country summaries: Laos