global illicit drug trends 2003 - United Nations Office on Drugs and ...

Global Illicit Drug Trends <strong>2003</strong>
Chapter 1. Trends: Consumption - ATS
Asia and the Pacific
In 2001, more than 70% of the countries in Asia
reporting on amphetamines abuse <strong>trends</strong> were
located in the East and South-East Asia
subregion, known to have the highest levels of
amphetamines abuse in the world. Large
increases in the consumption of
methamphetamine were reported from China, and
some increases were reported from Myanmar, the
Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
Authorities in Indonesia saw a decline.
Some of the strongest increases in recent years
were reported from Thailand. Estimates provided
by the authorities suggest that the number of
methamphetamine abusers rose 10-fold between
1993 and 2001. Thailand also reported the highest
methamphetamine prevalence rate worldwide (2½
million people a or 5.6% of the population age 15-
64, though some estimates reported in the press
go up to 3 million people b ) as well as the world’s
highest methamphetamine seizures in 2001. The
proportion of people admitted to treatment for
abusing methamphetamine rose from 2.1% in
1995 to 50.5% in 2001 (Out of 39,931 admissions
for treatment of substance abuse, 20,157 patients
consumed methamphetamine in 2001).
a
prevalence in % of population
aged 15-64
Methamphetamine abuse in Thailand,
1993-2001
6.0%
5.6%
5.0%
4.0%
3.0%
2.0%
1.0%
0.0%
0.58%
1993 2001
Sources: Thailand Development Research Institute,
1995 and ONCB, Thailand Narcotics Annual Report
2002.
The number of all <strong>drug</strong> abusers was estimated at 2.65 million
people, 90% among them were methamphetamine abusers
(derived from the number of <strong>drug</strong> addicts who applied for
treatment in 2001. (<strong>Office</strong> of the Narcotics Control Board,
Thailand Narcotics Annual Report 2002, p. 9.)
b
On the other hand, the Thai authorities also published
preliminary results of a household survey, conducted in 2001,
which showed significantly lower levels of methamphetamine
abuse. According to this survey, 1,092,500 people used Ya-ba
(methamphetamine tablets) within the last year, equivalent to
2.4% of the population age 12-65. (ONCB in collaboration of
Assumption University, Chiang Mai University, Chulalongkorn
University, Khon Kaen University, Rajapat Institute
Pibulsongkram, Rajapat Instittue Uttaradit and Songkhla
University, “Preliminary Report of Estimation of Population
proportion
Methamphetamine abuse in Thailand:
Proportion of <strong>drug</strong> addicts using
methamphetamine over the last 30 days prior to entering
treatment (Number of patients in 2001: 39,931)
50.5%
50.0%
46.3%
42.1%
40.0%
37.3%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
2.1%
9.6%
25.9%
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Source: ONCB, Thailand Narcotics Annual Report 2002
and previous years
Another major market for methamphetamine in
South-East Asia is the Philippines. Various
estimates suggest that <strong>drug</strong> abuse, in general,
and abuse of methamphetamine, in particular,
increased over the last decades, from negligible
levels in the 1970s and still relatively low levels in
the 1980s, to high levels in the 1990s. Estimates
on the number methamphetamine users in the
Phillippines, cited in various reports, range from
500,000 people (1.1% of the population age 15-
64, a conservative estimate provided by the
National Drug Law Enforcement and Prevention
Center for the late 1990s) to 1.8 milllion people
(4% of the population age 15-64), cited in various
press reports. According to the US International
Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2002, the figure
of 1.8 million people reflects estimates provided
by the Government of the Philippines referring to
the overall level of <strong>drug</strong> abuse in the Philippines in
2001/2002. Based on the number of people in
treatment and other indicators (seizures, arrests),
it can be estimated that 70% to 90% of <strong>drug</strong>
abuse in the Philippines is related to abuse of
methamphetamine. (The proportion of treatment
admissions for abuse of methamphetamine is
significantly higher than in Thailand). Youth surveys,
conducted in the mid 1990s and again in 1997/98,
found an increase in life-time prevalence from 7%
(1.4 million) to 10% (2.1 million) of those aged 15-
30. Based on all this information, UNODC
estimates that about 1.3 million people or 2.8% of
the population age 15-64 may be using
methamphetamine in the Philippines.
Japan is another important East Asian market for
methamphetamine. Japan was the first country in
East Asia affected by methamphetamine abuse
epidemics, first in the early 1950s, then in the
Related with Substance Abuse”, quoted in ONCP, Thailand
Country Report, February <strong>2003</strong>.)
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