Drug abuse in Pakistan - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

DRUG ABUSE IN PAKISTAN
at the time of <strong>in</strong>dependence, are sometimes
considered an ethnic group. A recent addition to
the overall population are Afghan refugees, estimated
<strong>in</strong> 1997 to total about 1.75 million, who are
ma<strong>in</strong>ly concentrated along the tribal areas near the
border.
<strong>Drug</strong> cultivation and production
<strong>Pakistan</strong> has been a producer of opium for export
and traditional domestic consumption s<strong>in</strong>ce the
time of Muslim rule and the later British Empire. In
1979, the Government of <strong>Pakistan</strong> responded to the
problem of <strong>in</strong>creased illicit opium production and
trade by the enforcement of the Hadd Ord<strong>in</strong>ance.
The Hadd Ord<strong>in</strong>ance brought exist<strong>in</strong>g law <strong>in</strong>to l<strong>in</strong>e
with Islamic <strong>in</strong>junctions and prohibits traffick<strong>in</strong>g,
f<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>g or possession of more than 10 grams of
hero<strong>in</strong> or 1 kg of opium. In 1979, all poppy cultivation
(licit and illicit) was banned and all Government
controlled process<strong>in</strong>g plants and retail outlets for
licit opium were closed. As a result of the Hadd
Ord<strong>in</strong>ance and partly because of massive stock pil<strong>in</strong>g
of opium follow<strong>in</strong>g a bumper harvest <strong>in</strong> 1979,
opium cultivation and production sharply decl<strong>in</strong>ed
<strong>in</strong> the 1980s. The Government’s commitment to
make <strong>Pakistan</strong> poppy free, <strong>in</strong>creased efforts <strong>in</strong> law
enforcement, the impact of alternative development
assistance from the <strong>in</strong>ternational community, and a
drop <strong>in</strong> retail prices for opium gum due to the massive
<strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> production <strong>in</strong> Afghanistan, are major
factors that contributed to a further decl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> opium
cultivation s<strong>in</strong>ce the mid 1990s. An analysis of poppy
harvest<strong>in</strong>g trends at the national level reveals a
decl<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> the amount harvested from 9,441 ha <strong>in</strong>
1992 to less than 284 ha <strong>in</strong> 1999. Of the three ma<strong>in</strong>
poppy grow<strong>in</strong>g areas, Dir district where UNDCP has
been active s<strong>in</strong>ce 1985, accounted for approximately
60% of the opium harvested <strong>in</strong> the country. Over
this period, UNDCP spent US$ 34 million on alternative
development projects <strong>in</strong> Dir District.
Alternative development <strong>in</strong>terventions coupled with
demonstrated Government commitment led to a
decrease <strong>in</strong> opium poppy cultivation <strong>in</strong> Dir District
from over 3,500 ha <strong>in</strong> 1992 to near zero <strong>in</strong> 2000, mak<strong>in</strong>g
the Dir project one of UNDCP’s most successful
alternative development projects.
The drug <strong>abuse</strong> problem
<strong>Pakistan</strong> is confronted with a significant drug <strong>abuse</strong>
problem. Trends <strong>in</strong> drug use patterns <strong>in</strong>dicate a
marked <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> hero<strong>in</strong> consumption that
emerged dur<strong>in</strong>g the 1980s. The 1993 National Survey
on <strong>Drug</strong> Abuse, whose results rema<strong>in</strong> by no means
undisputed, estimated the number of drug users at
3 million of which approximately 50% were addicted
to hero<strong>in</strong>. Other estimates have suggested that
the total number of drug <strong>abuse</strong>rs may have reached
4 million by 2000.
Recent trends suggest a shift from <strong>in</strong>hal<strong>in</strong>g and
smok<strong>in</strong>g hero<strong>in</strong> to <strong>in</strong>jection of drugs, <strong>in</strong> particular
pharmaceutical drugs, bear<strong>in</strong>g the high risk of an
HIV/AIDS epidemic and the spread of other blood
borne diseases. Inject<strong>in</strong>g drug use has been reported
from all major cities and some Afghan refugee
camps around Peshawar and Quetta. Results from a
study commissioned by UNDCP/UNAIDS <strong>in</strong> 1999,
<strong>in</strong>dicated that shar<strong>in</strong>g and multiple use of <strong>in</strong>jection
needles is common practice. Some evidence exists
that “shoot<strong>in</strong>g galleries” have become established <strong>in</strong>
Lahore and <strong>in</strong> Karachi. No cases of HIV/AIDS have
been detected <strong>in</strong> that study, but the high prevalence
of Hepatitis-C (180 out of 200 cases) <strong>in</strong>dicates the
enormous potential of an HIV/AIDS epidemic and
other transmittable diseases among the <strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g
drug users.
The above study has prompted the undertak<strong>in</strong>g of
two jo<strong>in</strong>t UNDPC/UNAIDS pilot projects <strong>in</strong> Lahore
(launched <strong>in</strong> March 2000) and Karachi (estimated
start January 2001) aim<strong>in</strong>g at HIV/AIDS prevention
among <strong>in</strong>ject<strong>in</strong>g drug users.
In order to enhance the knowledge base on women
and drug <strong>abuse</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Pakistan</strong>, UNDCP commissioned
a study targeted at drug abus<strong>in</strong>g women <strong>in</strong> 1998. In
total, 98 drug addicted women from Karachi and
Lahore were surveyed. Questionnaire results were
complemented by <strong>in</strong>terviews and focus group discussions.
Approximately one-third (32) of the
women who participated <strong>in</strong> the study regularly took
hero<strong>in</strong>. Tranquilizers (26) were the second most preferred
drug, followed by hashish (16), alcohol (11)
and opium (5). Hero<strong>in</strong> is ma<strong>in</strong>ly taken <strong>in</strong> the form
of prepared cigarettes or by <strong>in</strong>hal<strong>in</strong>g the fumes. No
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