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The Asia-Pacific NGO on Drug and Substance Abuse Prevention
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News&Publications
>>Article |
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Methamphetamine,
Ecstasy Abuse Continue to Rise in East Asia and
the Pacific |
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| Methamphetamine
and ecstasy abuse continue to dominate the region,
according to the 2006 annual report on patterns
and trends in amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS)
in East Asia and Pacific. 6 of the 13 profiled countries
ranked methamphetamine as the primary drug of concern;
9 of the 13 reporting an increasing trend of methamphetamine
abuse. 7 of the 9 countries which ranked ecstasy
as a drug of concern reported an increasing trend
of abuse. Thailand and Myanmar reported higher seizures
of crystal methamphetamine, or ice—a higher purity
and more potent form of methamphetamine than in
previous years. Lao PDR and Cambodia also reported
seizures of ice for the first time in 2005. Authorities
fear that this may signify the emerging presence
and spread in availability of ice in the region.
Opiates, particularly heroin, and cannabis continue
to have a widespread presence. Three countries reported
heroin as the primary drug of abuse, while two reported
cannabis as the most abused drug. Other drugs, including
benzodiazepines and ketamine, have emerged rapidly
as prominent drugs of abuse. The benzodiazepine
nimetazapam was ranked as the primary drug of abuse
in Singapore and second in Brunei. The club drug
ketamine was reported as a drug of abuse in five
countries. Inhalant abuse continues to be an entrenched
problem in the region, particularly among urban
youth. The report, entitled ‘Patterns and Trends
of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) and Other Drugs
of Abuse in East Asia and the Pacific 2005,’ is
the third report in a series of annual publications
for the UNODC project “Improving ATS Data and Information
Systems,” aimed at improving the collection and
sharing of ATS data among countries in the region.
The project is being implemented by the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Centre for East
Asia and the Pacific. Released in July 2006, the
report includes regional and national overviews
of drug trends in East Asia and Pacific, along with
comparative data from 2005 and 2004. The report
is based on information submitted by drug control
agencies in 13 countries in the region, which included
Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia,
Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Through the project,
national drug control agencies have developed a
network of law enforcement authorities, treatment
centres, and research institutions at both the provincial
and national levels from which they can collect
data. For the 2006 annual report, the countries
submitted data to the Drug Abuse Information Network
for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP), an online data
collection network. DAINAP was established by UNODC
in May 2005 to enhance the quality and efficiency
o f data collected in the region. Member countries
can log-on to DAINAP and submit quarterly and annual
data regarding recent trends of abuse, health and
treatment, arrests and seizures, and data collection
networks. The annual report is available for distribution
to national counterparts, UNODC country offices,
donor governments, non governmental organizations,
and national and international stakeholders. |
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| The
full report is available at http://www.apaic.org.
http://www.unodc.un.or.th/press_releases/2006/PR_2006_Methamphetamine.pdf
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| Source: UNODC 11 August 2006 |
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