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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To control the use of inhalant substances there
is the Emergency (Intoxicating Substances)
Order 1991, in which the penalty is a fine of
not more than BND$3,000 (US$1,628) or imprisonment
for a term not exceeding one year
or both (Narcotics Control Bureau, 2001) .
The government’s position on national drug
control is that law enforcement is a sufficient
and suitable deterrent (United Nations Office
on Drugs and Crime, 2003) . The Narcotics
Control Board is under the Prime Minister’s
Office (PMO), and as a result most policies
are formulated by the PMO . The PMO has
recently launched its strategic plan . Policies
on drug-related issues are clearly stated in
the plan and available to all [although at
the time of writing a copy of the plan was
not able to be accessed] (Narcotics Control
Bureau, personal communication, 2005) .
Law enforcement responses
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the lead
agency in dealing with drug-related issues . The
annual budget for law enforcement with regard
to drug-related issues is about BND$7,000,000
(US$4,000,000) (Narcotics Control Bureau
personal communication, 2005) . In 2003, there
were 64 people inside prison receiving drug
treatment in relation to methamphetamine
use, lower than in 2002 . The drug treatment
program within prison consists of detoxification,
counselling, civic treatment, work
therapy (vocation), religious training, and
moral and spiritual treatments (United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime, 2004a) .
Mandatory drug rehabilitation takes place
at the sole drug rehabilitation facility, which
accommodates 60 men and 10 women: the
Rumah Al-Islah Rehabilitation Centre, which
is under the purview of the Prisons Department,
Ministry of Home Affairs (Narcotics
Control Bureau, personal communication,
2005) . The three ways of admission are
by Court Order, Minister’s Order and on
voluntary order . Upon admission the person
is required to undergo detoxification for a
period not exceeding 14 days . After detoxification
the inmate undertakes an orientation
program for one week . The rehabilitation
program includes physical, psychological,
social, moral and civic rehabilitation (it is
not clear how long the program runs) .
After conviction by the court, or release from
prison or a rehabilitation centre, a person
must be enrolled in a supervision scheme .
Regulations include reporting to a supervision
officer at a particular time and place,
providing urine samples when required and
the possibility of having a blood sample taken
when requested (Narcotics Control Bureau,
2004) . The duration of drug supervision is
from 6 to 24 months, while for those with
an inhalant conviction the supervision is
for 6 to12 months . If the person is able to
successfully follow the program, they can
be recommended for release . If a person is
found to have committed an offence while
under supervision, they will be brought to
a court for prosecution (Narcotics Control
Bureau, 2001, 2004) .
In 2003, the total number admitted to the
supervision scheme by a referring agency
that included Rumah Al-Islah, prison, court
and the NCB was 257 . Also in 2003, the
number of violations of various sections of
the Misuse of Drugs Act or Misuse of Drug
Regulations while under a supervision order
was over 100 cases (Narcotics Control Bureau,
2004) . There are no reports, data or assessments
of how successful such rehabilitation
programs have been .
Health and drug treatment responses
Brunei offers a free medical and health care
service, provided by government hospitals,
health centres and health clinics throughout
the country . In more remote parts of
the country, primary health care is offered by
Flying Medical Services . There are two private
hospitals and a military hospital (World Health
Organization, 2004d) . However, drug treatment
does not sit within the health system
but under the Prisons Department, Ministry
of Home Affairs (Narcotics Control Bureau,
2004) (see under Law enforcement responses
for greater details) .
There are no known NGOs that focus their
efforts on drug users or drug use issues .
The Government of Brunei considers drug
problems a concern, but does not consider
consumption to be widespread; in particular,
there is little acknowledgement of the
existence of IDU . As a result there has been
little or no response to this issue . There are
no drug substitution therapy programs in
operation, nor are they under consideration .
There is a strong belief that the draconian
laws imposed against drug use should be
a sufficient deterrent . All information,
education and communication materials
are strongly focused on demand reduction .
It does not appear that there is any information
specifically targeting drug users to
minimise their risks except the message
‘say no to drugs’ . The number of people
accessing drug treatment services in 2003
was 104 persons (Narcotics Control Bureau,
personal communication, 2005) . If a person
under supervision was found to relapse, they
would be brought to court for prosecution
(Narcotics Control Bureau, 2004) . It can
be assumed a similar outcome would be
implemented for those having relapsed
following the completion of a drug supervision
period of 6–24 months .
Other responses
School-based education
Anti-drug messages to create awareness about
the risk and effects of drug use targeting
school students were common . Representatives
from various government departments
including those from the Narcotics Control
Bureau, the Royal Brunei Police Force, the
Ministry of Health and the Prison Department
would present anti-drug messages to
students . The highlight of the presentation to
students (at times with representatives from
primary school years four to six) concluded
with a demonstration of caning (of a dummy)
on stage (Kon, 2004) .
International funding
Brunei Darussalam does not receive any
direct international funding to deal with
drug-related issues from a law enforcement
perspective or from health-related treatment
or preventative education . However, Brunei
Darussalam received many offers on courses
and trainings related to drug issues from
international bodies; for example, from
International Law Enforcement Agencies
(ILEA), Office of Narcotics Board, Bangkok,
Thailand, and others (Narcotics Control
Bureau, personal communication, 2005) .
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Country profiles: Brunei Darussalam