Despite improvements by the government of Kyrgyzstan in promoting transparency and innovations in stopping the spread of drug abuse in the last decade, structural issues remain unsolved. The large number of drug addicts in this Central Asian nation remains a concern among experts. A 2006 study by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) concluded that the Kyrgyz Republic has 26,000 drug users of whom 25,000 are injecting users.

Likewise, independent research by the AIDS Project Management Group in Tajikistan has pegged the number of injecting drug users in that country at about 25,000 in 2009. Neither UNODC or other international agencies have updated their drug addiction figures for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan since. Central Asian medics believe that a real figure is unknown and likely higher.

Tatiana Borisova, the deputy director of Kyrgyzstan's Narcology Center, says that lack of funding prevents her organization from conducting research and assessment on the size of the so-called "closed group" in the country. She says that a "closed group" is composed of young drug addicts who prefer to remain anonymous.

"We don't know what is the approximate estimate of ‘closed group' because they don't come to us. The ones who are registered have been with us since our treatment program launched in 2002" added Borisova.

Indeed, the majority of drug users in South Kyrgyzstan are in their 30s and 40s, while younger users keep using drugs anonymously, said Kyzjibek Sydykova in an interview. Sydykova manages the drug treatment program in the city of Jalalabad.

Concerns also are growing over the corruption-prone Tajikistan and Kyrgyz republics where law enforcement agencies are widely believed to be participating in the illicit drug trade. The International Crisis Group's (ICG) latest reportsaysthat the"absence of legitimate economic development has political and security implications, and control of lucrative routes is a source of rivalry between regional elites and within corrupted security services."in Tajikistan. UNODC also believes the illicit drug trade is affecting states in Central Asia by feeding corruption that weakens the ability of regional governments to function long term.

The most vulnerable state impacted by regional drug trafficking — Tajikistan — is estimated to have generated 20-30% of its GDP through redistribution and laundering of drug money on a domestic basis. The ICG report indicated that between 2005 and 2013, Tajikistanreceived$83 million inUS and international aid to combat drug trafficking.

But these regional security initiatives are mainly driven by the international donors (US and EU). As a result, such projects "lack active implementation" by the government of Tajikistan, says ICG. There also are allegations of indirect involvement of Tajik security forces in drug trafficking. These are the same state security units that are reportedly executing repressive policies against dissent in Tajikistan where deterioration of human rights has worried western policymakers since last year.

Close cooperation on drug-related policies has yet to reach full consensus among Central Asian authoritarian states despite increased heroin and opiate smuggling from Afghanistan. UNODC's latest report shows a decrease in drug seizures in Central Asia over the last several years whilst Russia has registered an increase in the interception of drug shipments in the same period.

The UN reports that transnational crime networks manage smuggling operations throughout the region, feeding domestic corruption in Central Asia. Such assessments seem plausible in impoverished Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan where local economies depend on migrant remittances and economic aid from international donors. However, Central Asian governments have failed to identify these criminal networks in their respective territories.

The implications of failed attempts to stem the flow of drugs through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan shouldn't be underestimated. The international community and regional powers China and Russia must direct their attention to the need for reform in two of the region's weakest states. Many experts and regional observers agree that the Tajik and Kyrgyz governments will be unable to deal with drug trafficking without external assistance.