Drug use in Pakistan 2013 - Technical summary report

The technical summary of the Drug Use in Pakistan 2013 Report launched during the Commission on Narcotic Drugs reveals how a substantial proportion of Pakistan's population aged 15 to 64 suffer from the devastating consequences of substance use. The Report estimates that 5.8 per cent - or 6.4 million adults in Pakistan - used drugs in the last 12 months.

Cannabis was found to be the most commonly used drug in Pakistan, with by 3.6 per cent of the adult population, or four million people, listed as users. Opiates, namely opium and heroin, are used by almost one per cent of overall drugs users, and the highest levels of use are seen in the provinces which border principal poppy-cultivating areas in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Vulnerability to HIV and other blood-borne diseases through injecting drug use is also considerable, with 420,000 drug users estimated to be injecting drugs in Pakistan, a higher estimate than ever reported previously.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.