New Methamphetamine Epidemic in

ThailandApinun

Aramrattana, MD, PhD

Faculty of Medicine &

Research Institute for Health Sciences,

Chiang Mai University,

Chiang Mai, Thailand

1st Global Methamphetamine Conference: 15-16 September 2008, Prague

Chiang Mai

Thailand profiles

• Populations 63 m.

• 73 provinces

13946

2189429167

1835327995

2708230129

3858229403

19117

NUMBER

Source: Dept. of Medical Services, MOPH and Institute of Health Research,C U., ONCB

DRUG DEPENDENCE TREATMENT POPULATION

27155

V.Poshyachinda

79.

4

711. 725. 737. 782.834849

76

478.321.

241.196

165. 138.128.

6

0.4 06. 11. 1

106.

341.

537.574.

603.

193.

66.

57

63.

53.

53.77.

17.26.

0%

2 0 %

4 0 %

6 0 %

8 0 %

1 0 0 %

19901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Heroin Opium Ganja Inhalant Alcohol ATS Others

Methamphetamine epidemics

1st National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: 2001

Users (age 12-65 yr.) x 1,000 Ever Past year Past month

Any illicit drugs 7,312 1,942 999Marihuana 5,425 667 210

Yaba 3,492 1,092 490

Kratom leaf 2,106 644 364

Inhalants 934 200 101

Opium 907 39 12

Ecstasy 360 47 18

Heroin 274 23 9

Drug treatment capacity was < 50,000 patients.Source: The Office of Narcotic Control Board, Thailand, 2002

3rd National Household Survey: Provinces and Population

Province

North

Central

NortheastSouth

Population

Bangkok

Total

1

9

676

29

Municipal Non-Municipal

2,084 -

3,102

1,040

1,474

797

8,497

2,365

5,930

3,614

6,227

18,136

Multi-stage block

sampling

2007

All age 12-65 in selected households

Estimated Number x 1,000 [rate/1,000]

Drug type

Life time

Past year

Past month

Meth. Tab. 788.9 [17.0] 66.3 [ 1.4] 22.9 [ 0.5]

Ecstacy 124.3 [ 2.7] 15.2 [ 0.3] 3.3 [ 0.1]

Ice 41.8 [ 0.9] 2.2 [0.05] 0.6 [0.01]

Opium 229.0 [ 4.9] 3.1 [ 0.1] -

Heroin 151.0 [ 3.2] 3.9 [ 0.1] -

20 ธั�นวาคม 2550

บุหรี่ �CigarettesMeth. tab.

Retrospective trends of new users

ICEEcstacy

War on drug 2003

20 ธั�นวาคม 2550

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

Meth. Tab. Ecstacy Ice

Male

Female

Past year

Life time

Sex-specific Prevalence

Male predomination was small among Ecstacy and Ice users.

20 ธั�นวาคม 2550

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Meth. Tab. Ecstasy

12-24

25-65

Past year

Age-specific Prevalence

Meth. tab. was wide-spread among both youths and adults.Ecstacy was popular among young users.

New users tended to be young.

1947 1957 1967 1977 1987 1997 2007

10

0

20

30

40

50

60

70

Age

Age-at-initiation Trends

Calendar Year

Poly-drug use

MarihuanaChat

leavesInhalantsOpium

Heroin

Ecstacy

Cocaine

KetamineIce

Alcohol and Substance Use Patients at OPD Suan Prung Psychiatric Hospital 1995-2006

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006 Years

Number of Patients

Alcohol

Methamphetamine

War on drugs

Rehabilitation law

Short-term impacts of the ‘War on Drug’

Methamphetamine is still the most popular drug. Source: Suan Prung Hospital, MOPH

Ice users came for treatment at government hospitals were remarkbly

increasing

050100150200250300350400450

Cocaine

Ketamine

Ice

Ecstacy

Source: ONCB

Treatment statistics

10,000+

1 - 99

100 - 999

1,000 - 4,999

5,000 - 9,999

Amount (kg.)

2003

38.3 kg.. 15 kg.

2004

148 kg.

2005 2006

36 kg.

2007

208. kg.

Ice has recently been introduced to Thailand a few years ago and

rapidly expanding to cover all parts of the country.

Ice : Seizure statistics

สำ��นั�กปร�บปร�มย�เสำพติ�ด

The 1st clandestine lab. Producing Ice seized near Bangkok, July 2008.

• Thailand passed through a maximum peak of large methamphetamine epidemics around 2003.

• While its accessibility and availability were decreased, users turned to other drug for substitution.

• The large demand size led to another recent epidemics of Ice (methamphetamine crystal) among youths.

• This could develop further and pose health risks to the new users.

Conclusion

Acknowledgement:

• The Executive Program Committee of the

Conference

• Late Professor Vichai Poshyachinda, Drug

Dependence Research Center, Chulalongkorn

University

• The Office of Narcotic Control Board (ONCB),

Ministry of Justice, Thailand

• Thai Addiction Researcher Consortium

• Chiang Mai University, Thailand

• Drug users and workers