Hill tribe opium addicts: a retrospective study of 1,382 patients

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a retrospective study of 1,382 patients admitted to the Narcotics Treatment Centre for Hill Tribes in Thailand, which was operated by the WHO/UN/Thai Programme for Drug Abuse Control. The study revealed widespread opium addiction among the hill tribes. Of these, the Karen were the largest group. Mean age on admission for treatment was 35 years. The male:female ratio was 7:1. Sixty-six per cent were heads of households. About one-third came from households with more than one addict. The mean duration of daily opium use before admission was 7.9 years. Over 90% of them were addicted to opium; there were eight heroin users. The mean amount of opium used daily was 3.9 g for males and 3.2 g for females. About three-quarters of them used salicylate analgesics with opium. Illness, in particular abdominal pain, was the most frequent cause of their addiction.