The Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR), commonly known as Laos, is a southeast Asian nation bordered by China to the north, Myanmar (Burma) to the northwest, Thailand to the west, Cambodia to the south, and Vietnam to the east. Laos has a history of opiate production, although recent anti-opiate efforts have significantly reduced the cultivation of poppy. Given its central location in the opiate-producing region of southeast Asia, Laos is a transit point for opium and heroin from Myanmar. There have also been recent reports of an increase in methamphetamine production and methamphetamine use, with nearly 2 percent of the population between the ages of 15 and 64 consuming methamphetamine annually.

Penalties for drug offenses are severe in Laos, and trafficking in narcotics is punishable by ...