in 2014, it was reported that thailand's northeast provinces have seen a 700 percent increase in the number of people arrested for meth since 2008, according to data from the narcotics suppression bureau. in 2013, authorities counted more than 33,000 meth-related arrests in the northeast. the rapid growth of "ya ba" use in isan mirrors that which is occurring across asia, which now accounts for more than 50 percent of global amphetamine-type stimulant users.