Stimulant Use Webinar Series. Part I: About Amphetamine Type Stimulants and Stimulant Use Disorder

ISSUP Indonesia, ISSUP Malaysia, and ISSUP Philippines, in collaboration with ITTC, present a joint initiative dedicated to the use of Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the Asian region. 

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are widely used across the Asia-Pacific region, with an annual prevalence of use in 2011 ranging from 0.2% to 1.4% of the Asian population aged 15–64 years [1]. Nearly 10 million users reside in East and South-East Asia, owing to the relatively larger population of this subregion [3]. The Philippines (2.1%), Thailand (1.4%), and Lao PDR (1.4%) are the countries with a higher prevalence of ATS use in the region [1]. In the period 2016–2020, the largest numbers of ATS seizures occurred in East and South-East Asia, along with North America [3].

Many Asian countries report a significant shift from heroin and other opioids to methamphetamine. This is supported by the seizure of a total of 171.5 tons of methamphetamine in the region, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2021, and a continued decline in the overall price of methamphetamine, making it more affordable [2].

The ISSUP National Chapters Webinar Series aims to highlight ATS use as an emerging issue in Asian countries. We have invited experts and experienced professionals working in the field to provide updates on the harms of ATS use, address their mechanisms of action, modes of use, intended intoxicant effects, associated physical and mental health issues, the role of ATS in risky behaviours, transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B and C, and recommendations on their management and prevention-related responses.

Moderator: Dr. Kristiana Siste

Presentations

This webinar was hosted by ISSUP Indonesia and is part of a Series on Stimulant Use. Please find below the links to the other two Webinars:  

1. 6th February 2024 - Stimulant Use Webinar Series. Part II: Risky Behaviour and Chem Sex Associated with Stimulant Use. Learn More >>>
2. 20th February 2024 - Stimulant Use Webinar Series. Part III: Examples of Stimulant Use Treatment Programmes. Learn More>>>

Reference:

1. Dargan PI, Wood DM. Recreational drug use in the Asia Pacific region: improvement in our understanding of the problem through the UNODC programmes. J Med Toxicol. 2012 Sep;8(3):295-9. doi: 10.1007/s13181-012-0240-4. PMID: 22569822; PMCID: PMC3550160.

2. Regional Overview: Asia (2022). https://hri.global/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GSHR-2022_Asia.pdf

3. Word Drug Report 2022. Booklet 4 - Drug market trends of Cocaine, Amphetamine-type stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances (2022). https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/wdr-2022_booklet-4.html

Webinars and online events delivered and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.