2005 Programs and Events

Xaysomboun Special Zone Moving Ahead On Opium Detoxification (May 6, 2005)

NAS director Dave Wise (left) and UNODC's Klaus Nyholm discuss opium detoxification with three Hmong women addicts.

While on a visit to Xaysomboun Special Zone on May 6, 2005, Narcotics Affairs Section director Dave Wise observed ongoing opium detoxification at a center near Xaysomboun town. At the detox center, Xaysomboun chief Somphet Thipmala explained to Nash and UNODC Laos Country Representative Klaus Nyholm that, in the past few years, authorities have detoxed approximately 500 addicts from around the Zone or districts close to the Zone. He estimated that about 200 addicts remain. Somphet said that he expects 100 percent detoxification by the end of 2006.

Medical authorities at the center said that they use a standard Ministry of Health 17-day regimen, including tincture opium. They are planning to switch to a newly developed opium tablet for treatment because it is far cheaper. During the first week, families generally may not visit, since many addicts are ill.

After the first week, families are encouraged to visit to lend support to detox efforts. The authorities claim a relapse rate of about two percent. Somphet added that he has directed center and district staff to follow up on treated addicts for at least three months, as directed by the Ministry.

Based on NAS funding to the UNODC/GOL detoxification project, Xaysomboun was able to support four sessions in 2004 of between 22-25 opium addicts, both men and women. Somphet said that a typical group has about four women addicts.

During a tour of the center, Nash and Nyholm discussed opium addiction issues with several addicts. As we have seen in the past, most people became addicted to opium because they used it as a medicine substitute. This is because little or no medicine is available in the countryside. Among the addicts included a Hmong man 83 years old who said that he had been an addict for over 30 years. With the lack of opium in the countryside, and at the urging of his family, he decided to request detoxification.