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IN NUMBERS

The 2012 UN World Drug Report shows alarming trends for Southeast Asia

REGION

A DRUG-FREE ASEAN?

A cross the globe, about 230 million people, or 5% of the world’s adult population, used an illicit drug last year, according to the United Nations’ annual World Drug Report. While

global production and use stabilised last year, the report predicts that the number of illicit drug users will grow 25% by 2050 and underlines two trends that will have major consequences for Southeast Asia.

First, the global number of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) users now exceeds that of heroin and cocaine users combined. While seizures of heroin and cocaine grew by 50% and 65% respectively during the past decade, a 300% boost was observed for ATS, a surge largely attributed to the growing numbers of users in East and Southeast Asia, which now has the greatest number of ATS users in the world and produces half of methamphetamines seized internationally.

By Frédéric Janssens

SATS* LABORATORIES AND TABLETS SEIZED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

SILLICIT DRUG USERS IN THE WORLD (2010)

2008

2008

2009

2009

2010

2010

44

68LABORATORIES

TABLETS

58

25.7 million

53.7 million

77.5 million

Heroin, opium 17

19.3Ecstasy

Cannabis

171.9

Cocaine

16.3

ATS

33.4

Pass the pipe: opium production in Myanmar is on the rise

In millions

*Amphetamine-type stimulant

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The continued increase of opium poppy cultivation in the world since 2009 is another cause of concern. Last year, the total cultivation area was 207,000 hectares, three times the size of Singapore. Accounting for 63% of the surface cul-tivated, Afghanistan is the leader in global opium produc-tion, but Southeast Asian fields are expanding rapidly. Since 2006, opium poppy cultivation has doubled in the region. Myanmar and Laos now account for a quarter of the global cultivated area, and there are more households involved in opium cultivation in Myanmar than in Afghanistan.

With soaring production, trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs, the region must undergo a major shift in drug-related policies, especially if Asean is to meet its highly ambitious target of being drug free by 2015. As the traditional ‘eradica-tion and repression’ policies have long proved their inefficien-cies, is a drug free region nothing but a pipe dream? ¡

SHOUSEHOLDS INVOLVED IN OPIUM CULTIVATION (2011)

SOPIUM CULTIVATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

SGROSS INCOME PER HECTARE (USD)

With the cultivation of one hectare of opium farmers in Myanmar can earn nine times more than from rice cultivation in low lands, and 15 times more than rice cultivated in uplands.

700 6,300420

Rice (lowlands) Opium Rice (uplands)

191,500

MyanmarAfghanistan Laos

14,150

246,000

20112010

33,600

2009

47,700

41,100

In hectares (Myanmar and Laos combined)

STREATMENT ADMISSIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA (2010)

Methamphetamine

Heroin and opium

Cannabis

Ecstasy

2%

9%

10%

79%

All sources: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Southeast Asia now has the greatest number of amphetamine-type stimulant users in the world