Region unprepared for emerging meth epidemic

By John Coyne 
Special to The Nation

 

 

Last week, Vientiane played host to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s High Level Conference on Transnational Organised Crime in Laos and the Mekong Region. The UNDOC brought together senior Lao officials, international partners, and select experts from neighbouring Mekong countries.

 

The conference agenda was focused on improving the collective understanding of the vulnerabilities of Laos to transnational organised crime. While various organised crime problems were discussed, the focus of the event was undoubtedly the increasing challenge of methamphetamine production in the Mekong subregion.

 

Mekong governments are no strangers to the social and security ramifications of illicit drug production in the Golden Triangle. Indeed, all of the Mekong region states have been locked in a war against drugs, especially heroin, for decades. But even for these countries the scale of previous illicit drug challenges is already being overshadowed by the region’s rapidly evolving methamphetamine crisis.

 

The increasing volume and purity of meth being produced in Myanmar is pushing the region towards what can only be termed a drug epidemic.

Increasingly, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are forming the front line in the latest chapter of the region’s war on drugs. For the last two years, hardly a month passes without one of these countries setting a new meth seizure record.

 

In June, Thai authorities seized 10 million made-in-Myanmar meth pills and nearly half a tonne of crystal-meth hidden in packages of tea. And last month a mega-lab in Myanmar, capable of producing tonnes of meth, was raided.

 

Unfortunately, seizures like this are unlikely to result in any change in the availability or price of illicit drugs. Mega-laboratories operating in Myanmar ensure that any drugs that are seized will be quickly replaced.

 

Perhaps one of the most worrying trends for the region is that the purity of methamphetamine is also rapidly increasing.

 

Two years ago, the majority of the meth being consumed by the region’s addicts was “yaba”. Yaba is a low purity and quality methamphetamine tablet that is mixed with caffeine and taken in pill form. Now, the region’s organised crime groups are replacing yaba with crystal methamphetamine, or “ice”. “Ice” is not only more addictive, but has devastating physical and mental health impacts on its users.

 

While successful policy responses to drug epidemics are hard to find, Thailand’s experience with opium poppy production gives the region reason for hope about the future.

 

Forty years ago some 100,000 hectares of farmland in Thailand was being used to cultivate opium. By 2007, the country was declared opium-free by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. This was made possible by HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who in 1969 established the Royal Project, which provided alternative livelihoods for those involved in growing and refining opium.

 

The ambitious project was underpinned by rigorous research on alternative crops. The Thai government and international partners then developed critical infrastructure that gave farmers growing new crops access to markets.

 

To be sure, there were many factors that contributed to the Royal Project’s success. But the region can take heart that some measures, especially those deeply rooted in community development, result in improved security conditions and reduced drug production.

 

Unfortunately the region is ill prepared to deal with the emerging methamphetamine epidemic in terms of law enforcement strategy. This week’s conference revealed that addressing Asean’s emerging “ice” problem is going to require a stronger commitment to regional cooperation.

 

If the region is to be adequately prepared for a full-blown drug epidemic, more will also need to be done in terms of social policy at national and regional levels.

 

Dr John Coyne is head of the Border Security and Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Programmes at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion//30358906

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-20

It is hard to argue with the author's (very scary!) predictions.

 

"...Perhaps one of the most worrying trends for the region is that the purity of methamphetamine is also rapidly increasing..."

 

This is perhaps the most worrying of several worrying points made. When one looks around the world at addictive drugs, it is easy to see that there is a great deal of truth to the author's statement; opium to heroin, opioids (spelling) getting exponentially stronger, cocaine to crack, general prescription pain-killers, etc.

 

I would add one more, scary element to the author's ideas; the coming technological change in robotics. By all accounts, there is a rapidly approaching social change coming in robotics, one that will reduce the employment possibilities for under/low educated people significantly. Simply put, factories, farming and other low education areas will see a massive reduction is employment, and what are those people going to do? My feeling is that a certain percentage of them, unable to find gainful employment, will turn to 'Ice' as there won't be other, satisfying things in their lives. The 'Yaba' epidemic is already upon us; in all likelihood things will simply get worse, much worse. Is it a certainty? Nope, but when people don't have much to do, they tend to get into some kind of trouble-making activities.

 

This is a definite challenge for Thai and regional governments, and will require thinking from the proverbial 'best and the brightest' to find solutions.

 

Am I confident they both can and will be allowed the freedom to experiment and to find treatments and/or solutions?

 

Not terribly...

 

 

Edited November 19, 20187 yr by Samui Bodoh

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Unfortunately the region is ill prepared to deal with the emerging methamphetamine epidemic in terms of law enforcement strategy.

Perhaps education should be the focus.  We learned about narcotics while in secondary school.  We also were pushed to learn other things. A well paid, motivated teacher is worth 1000 of Thailand's finest.  

In the Western world it was noticed years ago that unemployment, great disparity in wealth and low wages caused people to turn to alcohol and tobacco despite them having little money for buying it. The vast number of Thai youth facing low skilled, low paid jobs, part employment or unemployment will look to drugs, not only for the short term relief of their misery, but as a source of income. The 18 - 21 year olds are already big on alcohol despite it being legally denied them. When life already appears meaningless wasting it on drugs doesn't seem such a bad thing. The much promised 'happiness' doesn't yet look to be arriving but the drugs are. It doesn't look good.

Most of the precursors come from China and the dictatorship there could shut it off in a minute if they wanted to. However China still has this grudge against the west from the opium wars in the 1800s and wants to see western youth corrupted by addiction. Most of the drug laden import containers seized by customs in western ports originate in Communist China or are transhipped through third ports. It must seem strange that big volumes of drugs can originate from & pass through Chinese ports yet very little ends up on the street in Communist China. I rest my case!

If something is epidemic, its the corruption. Fix this first or you'll get nowhere.

Perhaps one of the most worrying trends for the region is that the purity of methamphetamine is also rapidly increasing.

 

Keep a sharp look out, Mayanmar plods, for a bald-headed white expat wearing a "Breaking Bad" t-shirt.

Need penalties to suit the crime and strict enforcement of them ! Good luck with that....

what a weird story. It assumes that :

1. There has not already been a "meth epidemic".

2. That he is privy to special knowledge that usage of meth is going to increase in the future.

 

Meth heads a dime a dozen in many countries already. If I had to guess, I'd say the biggest drug epidemic threat in South east Asia is Fentanyl. As the US is trying harder to prevent Chinese drug traffickers from supplying the US, and with increased scrutiny of Chinese imports, the Chinese producers may instead turn to markets within Asia instead. That would really be a major concern. 

Edited November 20, 20187 yr by Time Traveller