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

DRUG ABUSE IN PAKISTAN
<strong>in</strong>terviewed <strong>in</strong> prison. The age of the sample ranged
from 12 to 74 years of age, with 40% of subjects
be<strong>in</strong>g between 25 and 34 years of age. Compar<strong>in</strong>g
the three samples, young respondents were least
common among the treatment sample, where only
2% were under 20 years of age, as compared to 9%
of street addict <strong>in</strong>terviews and 8% of the prison sample;
they comprise 6% of the whole comb<strong>in</strong>ed sample.
Similarly with older addicts, only 6% of respondents
were over 50 years, comprised of 5% of the
treatment and prison samples and 7% of the street
sample. Some caution is merited <strong>in</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g direct
comparisons with the 1993 survey because of the different
sampl<strong>in</strong>g strategy used <strong>in</strong> each study and
because full data on age characteristics were not
available for the earlier exercise. Nonetheless, the
current study does suggest a more mature population
of hero<strong>in</strong> users than might have been previously
identified, with less evidence of young hero<strong>in</strong> users.
For example, <strong>in</strong> the 1993 exercise, 24% of hero<strong>in</strong>
users were found to be (from 15 to) under 20 years
old. In the 2000 study only 5% were with<strong>in</strong> this age
group. Similarly, 73% of hero<strong>in</strong> users were found to
be less than 30 years of age <strong>in</strong> the 1993 exercise,
whereas <strong>in</strong> this study the equivalent figure is 41%.
An age breakdown is displayed <strong>in</strong> figure IV.
Figure IV.
25
20
15
10
5
0
Prison contact
Age distribution of sample
(percentage <strong>in</strong> 5 year groups)
10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50+
All Treatment Street Prison
All respondents <strong>in</strong> the study were asked about their
experience of prison. Seven per cent of the treatment
recruited sample and 18% of the street sample
reported some prison attendance as a result of a
drug-related offence. Overall about a third of respondents
(35%) <strong>in</strong> the treatment and street samples had
spent time <strong>in</strong> prison for a drug related offence. Those
<strong>in</strong> the street sample more commonly reported drug
related prison attendance than <strong>in</strong> the treatment
sample (44% as compared to 29%, respectively). This
aga<strong>in</strong> suggests, as reflected <strong>in</strong> their treatment history
and dependence, that the street addicts were a
particularly disadvantaged group.
Prison history
The mean age of 26 for first prison attendance—
amongst those who had been to prison—did not
vary across the sample groups. For those with a
prison history, 45% had only one experience of <strong>in</strong>carceration.
However histories of multiple prison attendance
were not uncommon and around 10% of subjects
who had prison experience reported five or
more <strong>in</strong>carcerations. Among those <strong>in</strong> the prison
sample just under half (45%) reported they were <strong>in</strong>
prison for an offence related to the possession of
drugs and a quarter (26%) reported they were imprisoned
because of an offence to do with the sell<strong>in</strong>g of
drugs. A further 18% reported that they were <strong>in</strong> custody
because of an offence associated with be<strong>in</strong>g
<strong>in</strong>toxicated with drugs. Virtually all offences (93%)
were reported to be associated with the respondents
<strong>in</strong>volvement with the use of hero<strong>in</strong>.
A similar picture emerges when data on liv<strong>in</strong>g situation
is exam<strong>in</strong>ed. Perhaps not surpris<strong>in</strong>gly, the
street recruited sample is most likely to report hav<strong>in</strong>g
no fixed place of abode and liv<strong>in</strong>g “on the street”
(41%) than the treatment (6%) or the prison groups
(13%). This figure was 18% for the entire sample, an
<strong>in</strong>crease on the 8% reported <strong>in</strong> the 1993 research
exercise. Cl<strong>in</strong>ic and prison attendees are by the
same token also more likely to report liv<strong>in</strong>g with
their parents (63% and 54% respectively) than the
street recruited sample (28%). Overall, for the sample
as a whole, half of all respondents report liv<strong>in</strong>g
with their parents. A m<strong>in</strong>ority of respondents (16%),
were also liv<strong>in</strong>g with their wife and this percentage
did not vary greatly across the <strong>in</strong>dividual samples,
although once aga<strong>in</strong> street addicts reported this less
often than members of treatment or the prison samples
(12% for street addicts, compared to 16% and
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