Asia features

pproximately 40% of the tourists that arrive in SE Asia are between the agesof 18-35 years old. A significant percentage from this market (unlike holiday types) tend to stay for months rather than weeks. The goal: backpack through inexpensive countries while 'expanding' through new experiences. 
In the SE Asian core (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia) quality ecstacy and cocaine is hard to find, while marijuana, speed, magic mushrooms, and speed are plentiful.

At the center of this 'core' is the 'Golden Triangle'.

The Golden Triangle

From the 1970’s until roughly a decade ago, the Golden Triangle competed with Afghanistan for global dominance in the poppy trade (poppies are the source of heroin and opium). This drew thousands of western hipsters who flocked here to 'swtch on and tune out'.

In the past few years however, the global 'war on drugs' has affected the region by making opium and marijuana cultivation a suddenly less-profitable option than cooking up speed pills in a lab (the center of this operation is Burma).

Thus, while poppy cultivation has plummeted, the manufacture of synthetic methamphetamines has skyrocketed. The net result of this for drug tourists is a seedier scene with spikier drugs and more dangerous dealers.

All across Asia, the uppers (speed) have thus taken over from the downers.

In Thailand, as an example, it was estimated that in 2003, an estimated 5% of the Thai population was hooked on speed. This was the catalyst for Thailand's 2003 'war on drugs' (in which more than 2,500 suspected drug dealers were killed under some very dodgy circumstances).

For tourists, this opened the era of widespread 'police stings'. Essentially, these involve cops lurking around tourist areas looking to bust stoners. When busted, stoners would be driven to an ATM and forced to 'buy' their freedom.

Here is one account from 'Peter', a German tourist who got busted at a guesthouse near Khao San Road in Bangkok:

I was having a smoking holiday in Bangkok, and smoking only in my room. One day, I heard heavy boots climb the stairs. Someone banged on the door. It was the police. I had around 5 grams in my room, plus a bong. They left the stuff, drove me to an ATM, and demanded 80% of my bank balance.

I paid them around USD$1,000. Then they let me go, and told me never to smoke again.

SE Asia drug law overview

Southeast Asian governments impose the toughest drug laws on the planet. Here is a quick summary of drug laws and penalties in key tourist destinations in the region:

Case study: drugs in Thailand

In order to give an idea of what types of drugs are available to backpackers on the SE Asian trail, we will next focus on the drugs that are typically available in Thailand.

Who controls the SE Asian drug trade?

Corruption is rife in SE Asian power circles. A good example is Thailand: according to an Interpol official, when Thais seize marijuana, yaba, and heroin, the caches are held in military bases in and around Bangkok. “A lot of brokers are now actually residing in Bangkok, and the stuff that they sell comes right out of these bases.”

Pasuk Phongpaichit, a Cambridge University-trained economist and author of the book Guns, Girls, Gambling, Ganja: Thailand's Illegal Economy and Public Policy, has told the media that Thailand’s drug trade is controlled by Thailand’s elite. She cited a case in 2005 in which a police raid was conducted on the home of notorious Thai yaba baron Surachai Ngoenthongfou (aka Bang Ron). Though the target escaped, he left behind mounds of evidence. Cops seized 758,000 pills, and documents linking the dealer with several high-ranking policemen, army officers and influential members of Parliament.

One officer told the media: "We found evidence at Bang Ron's house that proves connections between uniformed men and officials that are involved in his network." Surprisingly, no “influential” members were arrested, although several officers were either demoted or transferred out of province.

Conclusion

There are a lot of drugs available in SE Asia, although the risks are severe. Common punters, if they choose to indulge in weed, should be prepared to get shaken down to the tune of at least 10,000 baht if pinched. Aficionados of the harder stuff (heroin, and yaba, mainly) should expect seriousproblems if nabbed.

Be careful, and play safe!