Vilhelm Stokstad

Photographer

Myanmar's drug epidemic

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Location: Stockholm

Nationality: Swedish

Biography: My main interest lies in documentary photography. In 2013 i started working on the project Voluntourism , investigating the phenomenon of mixing volunteer work with vacation. As the larger NGOs and more established volunteer agencies,... MORE

Children in the streets of a op...hem to send the kids to school.

1 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Children in the streets of a opium producing village in Shan State, Myanmar. Most farmers and workers here say they would rather grow something else than poppy, but that it is the only way for them to send the kids to school.

Workers and farmers on their wa...untains of Shan State, Myanmar.

2 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Workers and farmers on their way to the poppy fields in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Poppy pods on a mountain side o...untains of Shan State, Myanmar.

3 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Poppy pods on a mountain side overlooking a village in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Workers harvesting opium in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

4 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Workers harvesting opium in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Workers in a poppy filed in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

5 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Workers in a poppy filed in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

A worker is harvesting opium in...untains of Shan State, Myanmar.

6 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A worker is harvesting opium in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Workers and farmers on their wa...untains of Shan State, Myanmar.

7 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Workers and farmers on their way back to the village after a days work in the poppy fields in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Workers and farmers on their wa...untains of Shan State, Myanmar.

8 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Workers and farmers on their way back to the village after a days work in the poppy fields in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Myanmar's drug epidemic

9 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

In a neighboring village to the...ighting it over a small candle.

10 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

In a neighboring village to the opium farmers the usage of opium is widespread. An active user demonstrates his pipe, lying on the floor lighting it over a small candle.

A 20 year old opium addict. His...village in Shan State, Myanmar.

11 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A 20 year old opium addict. His mother cries and asks for help. He wants to leave the village and go work somewhere else, where he can be free of the drug. So far he has not been able to afford it. Many people have trouble getting treatment here, in a village in Shan State, Myanmar.

Clients play Chinlone, a popula...itkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

12 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Clients play Chinlone, a popular local sport, at a Catholic drug rehabilitation center in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

Clients after daliy evening pra...itkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

13 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Clients after daliy evening prayer at a Catholic drug rehabilitation center in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

The 25 year old drug user has c...ut in a rehabilitation center.

14 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

The 25 year old drug user has completed his first week of rehabilitation locked up in a wooden cage in one of Pat Ja Sans Drug rehabilitation centers in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.
He has a wife and child waiting for him at home. He was arrested by the Baptist run organisation and put in a rehabilitation center.

A look into a cage where new cl...itkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

15 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A look into a cage where new clients are put their first week of treatment at one of Pat Jasans drug rehabilitation centers in Myitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

Clients in the yard at a Pat Ja...itkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

16 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Clients in the yard at a Pat Jasan drug rehabilitation center in Myitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

A client runs through an alley ...itkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

17 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A client runs through an alley with barbed wire fencing at a Pat Jasan drug rehabilitation center in Myitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

A taxi drives through the night in Yangon, Myanmar,

18 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A taxi drives through the night in Yangon, Myanmar,

A man addicted to both heroin a...in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

19 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A man addicted to both heroin and meth starting to prepare his afternoon fix in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

A man addicted to both heroin a...in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

20 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

A man addicted to both heroin and methamphetamine smoking his afternoon fix of meth in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

Burmese heroin loaded into a needle in Yangon, Myanmar.

21 of 21 © 2024 Vilhelm Stokstad

Burmese heroin loaded into a needle in Yangon, Myanmar.

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Thumbnail of Children in the streets of a opi_them to send the kids to school.

Thumbnail of Workers and farmers on their way_ountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Poppy pods on a mountain side ov_ountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Workers harvesting opium in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Workers in a poppy filed in the mountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of A worker is harvesting opium in _ountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Workers and farmers on their way_ountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Workers and farmers on their way_ountains of Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Myanmar's drug epidemic

Thumbnail of In a neighboring village to the _lighting it over a small candle.

Thumbnail of A 20 year old opium addict. His _ village in Shan State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Clients play Chinlone, a popular_yitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Clients after daliy evening pray_yitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of The 25 year old drug user has co_put in a rehabilitation center.

Thumbnail of A look into a cage where new cli_yitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Clients in the yard at a Pat Jas_yitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of A client runs through an alley w_yitkyina, Kachin state, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of A taxi drives through the night in Yangon, Myanmar,

Thumbnail of A man addicted to both heroin an_ in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of A man addicted to both heroin an_ in his home in Yangon, Myanmar.

Thumbnail of Burmese heroin loaded into a needle in Yangon, Myanmar.

Private Story

Myanmar's drug epidemic

Copyright Vilhelm Stokstad 2024

Date of Work Feb 2017 - Mar 2017

Updated Apr 2018

Location Myanmar, shan state

Topics Agriculture, Christianity, Community, Crime, Documentary, Drug Abuse, Hope, Human Rights, Incarceration, Photography, Photojournalism, Poverty, Prison, Religion, Travel, Workers Rights

Myanmar is the second largest producer of opium in the world, after Afghanistan, and it is the main source of Methamphetamine. Farmers and workers in the the mountains of Shan State are growing poppy as a way to send their children to school. Others are using opium to get rid of the pain after a long hard working day. In Kachin State, the christian organization Pat Jasan is arresting junkies on the streets, giving them the choice of prison or rehabilitation. Their methods are cruel, locking drug users in wooden cages, and surrounding their rehabilitation centers with barbed wire.
In Yangon, the availability of Methamphetamine and cheap Heroin have led to a drug epidemic. An anonymous drug user tells us about prisons overflowing with drugs to control the prisoners and youngsters using Meth as recreation. The majority of the drugs are exported though, to larger markets in China and Thailand, through rebel groups in the border regions of Myanmar.
This area, known as the Golden Triangle, is still a very active area of trade.

16,543

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