SE-ASIA-opium-poppy-2014-web

Introduction
The relationship between demand and supply is not entirely linear, but demand for heroin may
be linked in part to the resurgence in opium production in Southeast Asia in the past half‐decade.
China accounts for approximately 70% of heroin users in Asia, and is the largest single heroin
market in the world. 8 The absolute number of heroin users in China increased by approximately
half a million between 2007 and 2013, with the number of users estimated to be over 1.3 million.
But due to a surge in methamphetamine use over that period, heroin use as a proportion of all
registered drug users actually declined. 9,10 An increase in heroin use was also reported in Lao
PDR, Singapore and Thailand in 2014. 11 Heroin remains the primary drug of concern in Malaysia,
Myanmar, Singapore and Viet Nam, 12 and continues to account for a substantial number of the
problem drug users in Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Singapore. 13
Estimates suggested that there were over 3.3 million opiate users in East and Southeast Asia in
2014 (table 1), 14 a number that may rise as the populations of countries in the region increase
and if current trends continue. Moreover, as most countries in the region do not regularly
conduct national drug‐use surveys, these estimates are limited. In particular, there remains
substantial uncertainty about the number of users in China, where estimates are solely derived
from data on government‐registered users. 15
Based on the average price of heroin in Southeast Asia, the trade in opiates and heroin in the
region was estimated to exceed $16.3 billion per year in 2014. 16 These large money flows have
severe negative impacts, undermining the rule of law and requiring Governments to allocate
resources that could otherwise be used for development and public services. As regional
integration includes reducing trade restrictions and the facilitating of transportation across
borders, the threat emanating from the trade in opiates may increase further.
8
UNODC, Transnational Organized Crime in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: A Threat Assessment (TOCTA) 2013.
9
2014 Annual Report on Drug Control in China, Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC)
10
UNODC, World Drug Report 2014.
11
Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (2014).
12
UNODC, Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine‐Type Stimulants and Other Drugs: Challenges for Asia and the Pacific (2013).
13
UNODC, Patterns and Trends of Amphetamine‐Type Stimulants and Other Drugs: Challenges for Asia and the Pacific (2013).
14
UNODC, Transnational Organized Crime in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: A Threat Assessment (TOCTA) 2013. While the
prevalence of opiate use in East and Southeast Asia remains much lower (0.2%) than the global average of 0.4%, due to the
large population size, the region has the highest number of opiate users in any region.
15
2014 Annual Report on Drug Control in China, Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC).
16
2014 Annual Report on Drug Control in China, Office of China National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC).
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