As outlined in the recent Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: latest developments and challenges 2023 report, the synthetic drug supply in East and Southeast Asia remains at extreme levels and is diversifying. High volumes of methamphetamine continue to be produced and trafficked in and from the region while the production of ketamine and other synthetic drugs has expanded.
“Methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance,” noted Jeremy Douglas, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “Once it has a hold of you, it doesn’t let go.
"And we have a lot of cheap methamphetamine in this region,” he continued. “You can buy a tablet here in Bangkok for about a dollar or 50 cents. That’s cheaper than a cup of coffee.
"Producers are pushing out a massive supply [of synthetic drugs] and dropping the price for the purposes of building demand. The uptake of the drug in the population is massive.”
Additionally, law enforcement officials in the region seized a record 27.4 tons of ketamine in 2022 – an increase of 167 per cent.
Responding to the trafficking and consumption of synthetic drugs that can be made anywhere poses an immense challenge to drug control efforts across the world – and South East Asia is no exception.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Synthetic Drug Strategy presents a comprehensive and balanced framework to guide international, regional and national responses to effectively address those challenges, articulated across four complementary spheres of action: 1) Multilateralism and international cooperation, 2) Early Warning, 3) Health Responses and 4) Counternarcotic interventions.
Such responses must strike a balance between addressing user demand and reducing supply.
We are working with countries through counter-narcotic programmes to break the trafficking, trade, stop manufacture, and also to help them dispose of chemicals [used to make drugs,” said Justice Tettey, Chief of Laboratory and Scientific Services at UNODC.
“But there is the demand side. We need to have strong prevention programmes.
Because drug trafficking and production often occurs across borders, strengthening regional cooperation is essential to effectively addressing the synthetic drug threat.
“Multilateralism is required for better work, for cooperation among countries, because the drug problem doesn’t belong to one country, it’s transnational,” noted Ms. Sritrakool Waeladee, Narcotics Control Board, Thailand.
“If we don’t work together on this, people continue to die,” added Paul Hopkins of the Australian Federal Police.
