Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Drug Abuse in Southeast Asia

摘要

This CHECO Report addresses the problem of drug abuse in Southeast Asia (SEA), with emphasis on the. drug situation in Thailand through the end of 1973. Many aspects of drug abuse in SEA have drastically changed since 1973, as a result of reduction in forces, discontinuance of urinalysis testing, and other variables. Nevertheless, this report not only serves as a record of drug abuse as it existed in 1973, but also provides a unique insight into the underlying causes of drug abuse -- and in this respect the value of the report is undiminished by the passage of time. Although the problem of drug abuse permeated the entire structure of American society, it did not surface as a major military problem until the latter part of 1970 when Congressional leaders expressed concern over the reported high degree of drug abuse among US military personnel in the Republic of Vietnam. As a result of this concern, the military organized a concerted effort to eliminate the problem. This effort and the results it produced are discussed in Chapter I. Subsequent chapters deal with the drug abuse problem and its treatment in Thailand following the removal of remaining US Armed Forces from Vietnam in accordance with the January 1973 cease-fire. Chapter II explores the etiology of drug abuse, emphasizing specific contributing factors to the SEA drug abuse problem. Chapter III is concerned with the five phase drug abuse program at work in Thailand and with clinical evaluation of its effectiveness. Chapter IV is a statement of conclusions and an analysis of those conclusions with emphasis upon implications for improvement in the current drug abuse program.