UNITED NATIONS, Sept 9: The use of synthetic drugs, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine (meth) and ecstasy, are on the rise in developing countries, including parts of East and Southeast Asia and the Middle East, says a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Asia, with its large population and increasing prosperity, is fuelling the demand, says the report. It reveals that the worldwide market for amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) is an estimated $65 billion. Annually, its use surpasses that of cocaine and heroin combined.

ATS is being used as “a cheap and available tonic for our fast and competitive times — for entertainment in discos (mostly in the West), and for greater stamina in assembly lines and behind a steering wheel (in the East)”, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said at the launch of the report.

He warned that the perception that synthetic drugs were harmless could be dangerous.

“While users experience increased confidence, sociability and energy, they can quickly become dependent and suffer serious mental health problems or even brain damage.

“Paranoia, kidney failure, violence, internal bleeding are among the side effects.”

The report says that while the use of synthetic drugs had stabilised and even decreased in North America and Europe, the problem had shifted to new markets over the past few years.

In 2006, almost half of Asian countries reported an increase in methamphetamine use. That same year, Saudi Arabia seized more than 12 tonnes of amphetamine — one quarter of all ATS seized globally. In 2007, the amount increased to almost 14 tonnes.

Meanwhile, the number of seized methamphetamine laboratories in South Africa has gone up consistently for the past five years while domestic consumption has increased.

Recently, the single largest seizure of ecstasy ever recorded, 4.4 tonnes, originating in Western Europe, was made in Australia, which is still struggling with a major synthetic drugs problem.

The UNODC notes that the production of synthetic drugs is hard to trace since the ingredients are readily available for legitimate industrial purposes.

Methamphetamine, for instance, can be cooked up in the kitchen, and pills can be pressed in a garage.