NCJ Number
222930
Date Published
April 2008
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report examines the trends of illicit drugs in Pakistan based on information and statistics collected from various agencies and organizations.
Abstract
Key points arising from the report include: (1) Pakistan’s cultivation of opium poppy largely declined during the 1990s to near zero levels in 1999 and 2000; (2) poppy cultivation decreased from 9,441 ha. in 1992 to some 213 ha. in 2001 due to government measures to eliminate opium poppy cultivation along with alternative development projects; (3) Pakistan is one of the primary transit countries for drugs from Afghanistan; (4) in 2007, law enforcement agencies seized 13,736 kg of heroin/morphine base, 101,069 kg of cannabis and 15,362 kg of opium (down from the 2006 seizures of 35,478 kg of heroin heroin/morphine base and 115,443 kg of cannabis and up from the 2006 opium seizures of 8,907 kg); (5) a government report states that the number of opiate users has reached a plateau; the report estimates the number of opiate users at 628,000 of which 77 percent are chronic heroin abusers; (6) a substantial increase was found in the use of cannabis, sedatives, and tranquilizers since 2000; and (7) the government report noted a 100 percent increase in injecting drug use between 2000 and 2006 which is of concern in terms of the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. This report aims to enhance the understanding of drug trends in Pakistan in order to place it within the wider context of global drug developments. The first three chapters review trends in the production, seizure, and abuse of opium/heroin, cannabis, and synthetic drugs in Pakistan, followed by a look into the major trafficking patterns and an assessment of the status of drug related crimes and offenses. The report concludes with a focus on the impact of drug abuse on the HIV/AIDS situation in Pakistan. Tables and figures