Contemporary Asian Drug Policy Insights and Opportunities for Change
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Contemporary Asian Drug Policy Insights and Opportunities for Change Bryce Pardo, Beau Kilmer, Wenjing Huang C O R P O R A T I O N For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2733 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2019 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Cover: (left) fpdress/iStock/Getty Images; (right) davric/Wikimedia Commons Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface Countries in Asia have typically addressed illicit drug supply and use with harsh punishments, including compulsory treatment and the death penalty. The region has long espoused the goal of creating a drug-free society, a goal that has been abandoned in other parts of the globe for being infeasible. Like many other places in the world, there are emerging discussions in Asia about policies to reduce drug use and trafficking. This report aims to help inform policymakers and the public by describing the illicit drug situation for selected Association of Southeast Asian Nations + 3 countries (China, Japan, and South Korea). The authors present three case studies related to the shifting drug and drug policy landscape in Asia: (1) the violent crackdown on drug users and sellers in the Philippines, (2) Thailand’s shift from a similar crackdown toward an alternative approach of reducing criminal sanctions for drug use and improving access to medication treatment and needle exchange, and (3) China’s emergence as a major source of many new chemical precursors and drugs that are exported outside Asia. RAND Ventures RAND is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND Ventures is a vehicle for investing in policy solutions. Philanthropic contributions support our ability to take the long view, tackle tough and often-controversial topics, and share our findings in innovative and compelling ways. RAND’s research findings and recommendations are based on data and evidence, and therefore do not necessarily reflect the policy preferences or interests of its clients, donors, or supporters. Funding for this venture was provided by the generous contributions of the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP) Advisory Board, and conducted within CAPP, part of International Programs at the RAND Corporation. CAPP provides analysis on political, social, economic, and technological developments in and around the Asia Pacific. Through research and analysis, CAPP helps public and private decisionmakers solve problems, tackle challenges, and identify ways to make society safer, smarter, and more prosperous. For more information on the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, see www.rand.org/international_programs/capp or contact the director (contact information is provided on the webpage). Support for this project is also provided, in part, by the income earned on client-funded research and other donors. iii Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ iii Figures............................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................. vi Text Boxes .................................................................................................................................... vii Summary ...................................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... xi Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ xii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Organization of This Report ..................................................................................................................... 2 2. Drug Use and Drug-Related Disease .......................................................................................... 3 Drug Use Prevalence and Consumption ................................................................................................... 3 Estimating Retail Markets ........................................................................................................................ 8 Illicit Drugs and the Burden of Disease .................................................................................................. 15 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 18 3. Drug and Precursor Chemical Production ................................................................................ 20 Production and Trafficking ..................................................................................................................... 20 Plant-Based Drugs .................................................................................................................................. 20 Synthetic Substances and Precursor Chemicals ..................................................................................... 21 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 26 4. Drug Policies in Asia ................................................................................................................ 27 Supply Reduction ................................................................................................................................... 28 Demand Reduction ................................................................................................................................. 30 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 35 5. Case Studies .............................................................................................................................. 37 The Philippines’ War on Drugs .............................................................................................................. 38 Drug Law Reform in Thailand ............................................................................................................... 49 Drug Production in China ....................................................................................................................... 57 6. Recommendations for Improving Research and Policies in the Region ................................... 69 Improve Estimates of Drug Consumption in Asia .................................................................................. 69 Expand Evidence-Based Drug Treatment and Disease-Prevention Modalities ..................................... 70 Monitor Shifting Patterns in Drug Supply .............................................................................................. 71 Reconsider Harsh Drug Law Enforcement, Including Capital Punishment ........................................... 72 References ..................................................................................................................................... 73 iv Figures Figure 3.1. Methamphetamine and Amphetamine Seizures in Select Countries, 2012–2016 ...... 23 Figure 4.1. Per Capita Methadone Dispensed (mg), by Country .................................................. 35 Figure 5.1. Prisoners in Thailand, 2008–2016 .............................................................................. 52 v Tables Table 2.1. Annual Prevalence Rates and Reported Treatment Admissions, by Drug and Country ................................................................................................................................... 6 Table 2.2. UN Estimates of Total Consumption of Heroin, Opium, and Cocaine in Asia ........... 10 Table 2.3. UN Estimates of the Total Consumption and Value of Heroin in Asia, 2011 ............. 12 Table