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 .11 Thailand
Population: 64,865,523
2 .11 .1 Overview of
recent drug trends
According to a recently conducted national
household survey, the most commonly used
drugs in Thailand are amphetamine-type
substances (ATS), followed by cannabis,
kratom and inhalants . While heroin and
opium use is common in some demographics
(especially in the northern hill region bordering
Myanmar and Lao PDR), they are not
used significantly at a whole-population
level . Limited use of ecstasy, cocaine and
ketamine as well as of pharmaceutical drugs
such as cough medicine and benzodiazepines
has also been reported .
The overall number of drug users is thought
to have reduced recently, but due to changes
in reporting protocols evidence to support
this claim is lacking .
2 .11 .2 Prevalence of drug use
Estimates of the number of drug users in
Thailand range from between two million
to three million people or about 5 per cent
of the population . Drug use appears to be a
mainly male phenomenon . Younger people
tend to use more ATS and other stimulant
drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, while older
drug users tend to use opium and heroin .
Estimates of the number of injecting drug
users range from 48,000 to 240,000, with
estimates towards the conservative end of
this figure more plausible .
2 .11 .3 Drug supply
While drug production in Thailand has
decreased over the past decade, opium and
cannabis are still grown and amphetaminetype
substances are still produced . The
majority of heroin, ATS, cannabis, opium,
MDMA, ketamine and cocaine is imported
into Thailand, with opium, heroin and ATS
thought to be sourced from Myanmar .
Thailand’s opium cultivation accounts for
only about 1 per cent of the total crop
cultivated in the region . Thailand serves as
an important transit point for international
drug trafficking .
2 .11 .4 Drug-taking practices,
risk factors and trends
Methods of drug use in Thailand have
remained stable in the past few years . While
there are limited reports of injecting ATS,
most ATS and opium users report smoking
or ingestion as their preferred method of use .
Heroin remains the most commonly injected
drug in Thailand; however, there are increasing
reports of other drugs such as domicom
2 .11 .5 Summary table
being injected either in isolation or more
commonly to enhance the effects of heroin .
IDU and imprisonment remain significant
risk factors for HIV in Thailand .
Increased mental and sexual health risks associated
with ATS use, especially among young
users, have also been reported in Thailand .
Recent studies suggest that heroin injection
is more prominent in southern Thailand than
previously thought .
Estimated number of current drug users 2–3 million (50,000–100,000 IDUs)
Main drugs used ATS, cannabis, kratom, inhalants
and opium and heroin
Drugs injected Heroin and ATS
Estimated prevalence of
HIV infection among IDUs
30–50%
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Country summaries: Thailand