TURKMENISTAN'S TROUBLING DRUG ADDICTION PROBLEM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 000188 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, NEA/IR AND INL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL IR TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN'S TROUBLING DRUG ADDICTION PROBLEM ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (U) Summary: The fact that Turkmenistan suffers from a serious heroin addiction problem (10 percent of the population, according to the World Health Organization),is something that the Turkmen Government has barely begun to acknowledge. Notwithstanding President Berimuhamedov's public reference to it on more than one occasion, authorities are not forthcoming about statistics, and treatment options remain extremely limited. Harm reduction measures, such as needle exchanges, are not allowed, although one INL-funded demand reduction program was recently inaugurated to educate youth about the hazards of drug use. Law enforcement sources note the relationship between a rise in drug addiction and a correlating rise in violent crimes and prostitution. Small-scale merchants from Turkmenistan who travel to Iran to buy goods have also reportedly become involved in drug smuggling. END SUMMARY. OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, BUT NO STATISTICS ¶3. (U) In his New Year's address to the nation, President Berdimuhamedov announced that the state would continue taking "rigorous measures" to prevent the spread of drug addiction in Turkmenistan. Even as the government begins to openly acknowledge and discuss the existence of an addiction problem in Turkmenistan, however, it is very reluctant to provide details of the number of addicts, drugs used, or the kinds of treatment available. The President did state during an open cabinet session last year that there are more than 30,000 addicts. However, the World Health Organization has estimated that 10 percent of the population (i.e. 500,000 people) are addicted to heroin in this country. ¶4. (U) Background: During the Soviet period alcoholism rates in Turkmenistan were high, but opiates were rarely used, with the exception of in rural areas where a paste made from opium was commonly used as a pain reliever. Drug addiction was rare, and cannabis or hashish use was normally associated only with criminal behavior. Drug addicts were, therefore, a rarity; a specter and known to everyone residing in a village or district. End Background. ¶5. (SBU) By the mid-1990's, however, after Turkmenistan's independence and during the period of Taliban control of Afghanistan, Central Asia became a major transshipment route for Afghan opiates and drug use swiftly expanded. During the period of transition, with its accompanying high rates of unemployment and economic hardship, a dose of heroin became less expensive than a bottle of vodka. According to a Turkmen police captain, unemployed Turkmen often travel to Iran or Turkey to purchase consumer goods for resale at home. Some soon find it easier to make money smuggling heroin rather than textiles or other goods. The same source noted that women who find themselves burdened with supporting their family financially have also begun to become involved in the drug trade, importing heroin in items such as carpets. (NOTE: In a conversation with Political Officer, a Turkmen laborer from the town of Tejen, near the Iranian border, said that high unemployment rates had pushed "many, many" women from his region to travel frequently to Iran to purchase consumer items, like cellular telephones, for resale. In addition, in the opinion of this source, a large number of these women have also begun to smuggle small amounts of narcotics. END NOTE.) NEW DRUG DEMAND REDUCTION PROGRAM ¶6. (SBU) The Turkmen Red Crescent Society's INL-funded Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) project began operations in Ashgabat in October 2008. Together with the Ministry of Health and the Magtamguly Youth Center (a local NGO),it has launched several anti-drug campaigns, publishing pamphlets and other materials in both Turkmen and Russian, and organizes concerts and events. The Red Crescent program now has instructors in all five Turkmen welayats (provinces),and uses a "peer educator" approach to teach young people about the dangers of ASHGABAT 00000188 002 OF 003 drug use, as well as HIV and AIDS. In general, most local observers say that the lack of treatment centers and modern treatment methods, low levels of public awareness, as well as Turkmenistan's high unemployment all contribute to a climbing rate of drug addiction. Our police captain contact also noted the role of drug addiction in "a majority" of violent crimes being committed in the country, including robbery, murder and rape. (NOTE: Unlike some other Central Asian countries, Turkmenistan has no "drug harm" (i.e. needle exchange) reduction programs, as this, according to sources, would indicate that the problem is more widespread than the government would like to acknowledge. END NOTE.) THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE ¶7. (SBU) According to the Red Crescent Society's DDR Project Coordinator, the most susceptible social group are people between the ages of 25 and 40 who reside in rural areas. She noted that most addicts do not live past the age of 40, and usually succumb to overdose, infectious disease, murder or suicide. Many in that group start experimenting with drugs during their teenage years, she said. There are also some more elderly addicts, usually men in rural areas. AN ACCOMPANYING RISE IN PROSTITUTION ¶8. (SBU) The police captain we spoke with said that most of the prostitutes in Ashgabat, who operate in hotel lobbies and night clubs, are drug addicts, and their numbers are increasing. The same women arrested in those venues, who reportedly charge their (usually expat) clientele USD 100 per encounter, line up on Shevchenko Street in the center of town, where a gram of heroin reportedly sells for the equivalent of three dollars. ¶9. (SBU) Local sources say that synthetic drugs, such as amphetamines and ecstasy, are not commonly known or used in the Turkmenistan. They say that the production of synthetic drugs requires laboratory facilities, supplies and technical knowledge not easily available in this country. Those ecstasy pills that do show up in night clubs occasionally are brought into the country by foreign tourists. MINIMAL TREATMENT OPTIONS ¶10. (SBU) Medical personnel involved in the treatment of drug users confirm that nearly all drug addicts in Turkmenistan are addicted to heroin. They say that treatment clinics are overcrowded, and call the conditions "unbearable." Drug addicts are presently treated in one of two major medical facilities in the country: In Ashgabat, at the "City Center for Treatment of Drug Abuse, Alcoholism and Psychiatric Diseases," and in Dashoguz, at the "Psycho-Narcotic Treatment Hospital," where addicts from all over the country are involuntarily admitted for treatment. There are also treatment clinics run by the Ministry of Health in all five provinces. ¶11. (SBU) According to the Red Crescent Society, addicts are normally committed to a treatment facility when family members, unable to tolerate the addict's behavior, contact the police and ask that their relative be committed. Because the treatment centers are so overcrowded, the families reportedly must resort to paying a bribe to gain a place in the facility. The treatment centers reportedly lack qualified specialists or modern methods of treatment, and were described as more of a "jail" than a hospital. Some are committed for as long as five years, and the rate of actual rehabilitation is reportedly very low. Those who can afford it seek treatment in Russia or at-home care with a private physician. ¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: Turkmenistan's drug addiction problem is clearly more widespread and serious than the government cares to acknowledge. Given the country's high unemployment, particularly in rural areas, and despite new drug demand reduction efforts in both U.S. and UN-funded programs, the ASHGABAT 00000188 003 OF 003 situation appears likely to get worse before it improves. END COMMENT. MILES