Drug abuse in Southeast Asia alarming, says report

MANILA, Philippines - The latest International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) annual report highlighted growing and alarming new trends in the manufacture of illicit drugs in Southeast Asia, citing the Philippines’ continued report of seizures of precursor chemicals not under international control.

The INCB is an independent and quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions.

In its annual report, INCB presented the alarming trends in drug abuse in different countries, including the Philippines where methamphetamine is the most widely abused drug, followed by cannabis sativa.

It raised the alarm about new psychoactive substances that are easier to obtain and under less stringent international controls.

The INCB annual report, one of the flagship publications produced every year to address the world drug problem, also highlighted the growing problem of prescription drug abuse and its prevention.

The report stressed that significant quantities of precursor chemicals continued to be seized in countries in East and Southeast Asia.

The Philippines reported the seizure of numerous precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine and more than 200 kilos of ephedrine were seized at warehouses and clandestine laboratories.

In 2008, the Philippines also reported having seized a significant quantity of acetone (902 liters) and hydrochloric acid (385 liters), selling 67 liters of acetone to an undercover agent and the seizure of 10 kilos of ketamine.

Under Philippine drug-control law, the sale of more than one liter of acetone to the same individual within a one-month period is prohibited.

Traffickers have obtained precursor chemicals in Vietnam and smuggled these to other countries for illicit drug manufacture.

Methamphetamine is the most widely abused drug in the Japan, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. Cannabis, on the other hand, is the most widely abused drug in Mongolia and Thailand.

The annual report cited the memorandum of understanding signed between the National Narcotics Board of Indonesia and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to strengthen cooperation against illicit production and trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals, including in the area of joint law enforcement operations.

In the past, Philippine and Chinese law enforcement authorities cooperated in an operation that resulted to the dismantling of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Quezon province.

The report welcomed the memorandum of understanding signed by PDEA with chemical and pharmaceutical companies to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals.

Forty chemical and pharmaceutical companies and three organizations signed the agreement to become proactive counterparts in cutting off the supply of precursor chemicals to clandestine laboratories.

PDEA had reiterated its appeal to judges and prosecutors to expedite trial proceedings of drug-related cases. The agency stated that only 21 percent of the 99,434 drug-related cases initiated had been resolved.