Recreational Drug Use in the Asia Pacific Region: Improvement in Our Understanding of the Problem Through the UNODC Programmes

Until recently, there were limited data available on the epidemiology of recreational drug use in the Asia Pacific region. However, in the last few years, a number of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programmes have improved data collection networks, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. There are still significant data gaps from some countries, including India and China, and data reported from some countries in the region are based on expert estimates on recreational drug use rather than formally collected data. However, the availability of improved epidemiological data has enabled many countries in the region, both individually and through regional UNODC programmes, to start to understand the issues that need to be addressed. We will summarise in this mini-review the data available within the UNODC World Drug Report and from the other UNODC programmes in the region on the production and use of recreational drugs in the Asia Pacific region.