CAIRO: While the use of synthetic drugs is either stabilized or decreasing in countries around the world, it is booming in East and South East Asia and the Middle East, according to a new United Nations report. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report showing the use of synthetic drugs all over the world. The UNODC 2008 global report revealed that the use of drugs such as methamphetamine (meth) and ecstasy is now surpassing the likes of cocaine and heroin combined. The global market for amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) is estimated at $65 billion. After the significant and rapid increase of ATS in the late 1990s, the use of synthetic drugs in North America, Europe and Oceania has stabilized, and in some places declined. But now the problem has moved to new markets. Asia is one of the areas with an increasing demand. In 2006, almost half of Asian countries reported a rise in methamphetamine use. Asia is often reported to have large scale facilities capable of industrial scale methamphetamine manufacturing. In 2007 there were a large number of seizures in China, Malaysia and the Philippines. The Middle East seizures and use has increased tremendously over the past few years. In 2006, Saudi Arabia seized more than 12 tons of amphetamine accounting for one quarter of all ATS seized in the world. This was a shocking find since it originally only accounted for 1 percent in 2000/1. In 2007 the amount rose to nearly 14 tons. Ignoring the problem The report stated that in Egypt 10 percent of the population, aged 15 or over, has used drugs, with 5.3 of those admitting to using stimulants, citing a 2005/6 national survey. These types of drugs are used by people aged 16 to 30, mostly the youth, explained Dr Amr Sulieman, a specialist of psychiatry at the addiction department of the Psychological Medicine Hospital. Ecstasy is the real problem here, that's the most popular one in the market. It's the party drug of the higher social classes, he added. Dr Sulieman says that he is seeing more patients with ATS problems than ever before. I see many more patients nowadays with amphetamine type stimulants addiction, the number has increased but not to the point where it is a major problem. However, this doesn't mean we should ignore it; if we do, then I am certain it will evolve into a much bigger problem in the future, he said. While launching the report in Bangkok, Executive Director of UNODC Antonio Maria Costa warned of the dangers of ATS stating that is being used as a cheap and available tonic for our fast and competitive times. The idea that synthetic drugs are safe is a common misconception in societies today. Synthetic drugs are falsely perceived as being harmless: pills do not kill or spread HIV/AIDS, Costa explained. However, the head of UNODC feels that this false perception can lead to bigger problems later on. This is dangerous because while users experience increased confidence, sociability and energy, they can quickly become dependent and suffer serious mental health problems or even brain damage. Paranoia, kidney failure, violence, internal bleeding are just some problems that go along with taking synthetic drugs. In a previous Daily News Egypt report, users said they experience depression right after the ecstasy drug's effect wares off or with continuous use. "I took [ecstasy pills] almost every weekend for a year and have rolled almost 100 times, Imad, a 20-year-old Egyptian, previously told Daily News Egypt. "It got to the point where I was taking over 10 pills in a few hours just to feel as good as I did the first 20 times I rolled. When he was coming off of his last trip [common term that refers to the duration of the drug's effect], Imad panicked and refused to talk to anyone. Since then, he says, things have not been the same. "I can be with my family or a group of friends and still feel completely alone and uncomfortable. I've walked out of new jobs because of panic attacks. I hide it well, but it's destroying my life. Easy cooking ATS are attractive to manufacturers because there are no geographical limitations to where they can be made. And unlike plant based drugs such as cocaine and heroin, the production of synthetic drugs is hard to trace as the ingredients are readily available for other legal uses. As with the ingredients, the production is also straightforward and easy to do. Meth can be cooked up in the kitchen and pills can be pressed in a garage. Suppliers quickly adapt to the latest trends, and cater to local markets. When one lab is shut, another opens, Costa said. A decade ago, synthetic drugs were a cottage industry. Now they are big business controlled by organized crime syndicates involved in all phases of this illicit trade. Costa said. The changes in the ATS markets are making it easier all the time to set up and operate one of these clandestine laboratories. Many of the countries facing the ATS rise nowadays are unaware of the dangers and are not prepared to cope with such a problem. Some countries are in denial about the problem, and do not even report their situation to the United Nations. Others are ill- equipped to fight the pandemic, in terms of information gathering, regulatory frameworks, law enforcement, forensics or health care, Costa stated. The world needs to get smart about ATS before the problem is out of control, he added. Costa has launched now the UNODC SMART program (Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends). The program, which is starting in Asia, is supposed to work with governments in vulnerable areas to raise awareness and knowledge on amphetamine type stimulants.
