Random Urine-testing Returns To Asoke

[Thai Ron]

Two mates were pulled out of taxis and piss-tested in the stretch of road that runs between Asoke and Khlong Toey last night.

Proper checkpoint too with tents, desks, fans they said.

Looks like the cops are attacking the drug problem from both ends.

The African dealers were conspicuous by their absence from their usual perch on the corner of Sukhumvit soi 13 last night after recent, high profile roundups so now they're going after their top customers, the Westerners.

I suppose racial profiling goes in more than one direction.

[rodknock]

i thought you were only required to do a piss test at a police station?

[thequietman]

14 minutes ago, rodknock said:

i thought you were only required to do a piss test at a police station?

True. So if they try to do a piss test at the side of the road............ tell them NO.

[nasanews]

That is called random blackmail.

[Thai Ron]

20 minutes ago, rodknock said:

i thought you were only required to do a piss test at a police station?

 

That may well be the case but most people don't know it.

[Thai Ron]

Just now, nasanews said:

That is called random blackmail.

 

Only if you've taken drugs.

If you have, you've just made yourself a target, haven't you?

[nasanews]

5 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

 

Only if you've taken drugs.

If you have, you've just made yourself a target, haven't you?

So, drug users are the world biggest problem?

[Thai Ron]

10 minutes ago, nasanews said:

So, drug users are the world biggest problem?

 

No but neither is, say, driving a car without a license but it'll still get you nicked (or extorted), won't it?

 

If you want to get into a decriminalisation debate, start your own thread.

 

[Metapod]

19 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

 

Only if you've taken drugs.

If you have, you've just made yourself a target, haven't you?

 

There is alot more too it though. What about the guy that smokes (legally) in US, Canada, Europe etc and then 2 weeks later flies into Bangkok and has to take a random piss test? Metabolites can stay in your system for over a month.

[Thai Ron]

Just now, Metapod said:

 

There is alot more too it though. What about the guy that smokes (legally) in US, Canada, Europe etc and then 2 weeks later flies into Bangkok and has to take a random piss test? Metabolites can stay in your system for over a month.

Yeah, big grey area but if you could prove it with stamps in your passport or one of those cards that shows you're allowed to use marijuana for whatever reason, you might have grounds to appeal a fine or whatever.

 

Ultimately, though, it's your own responsibility to make sure you'd pass a test - maybe do one before travelling.

[KiChakayan]

2 hours ago, Metapod said:

 

There is alot more too it though. What about the guy that smokes (legally) in US, Canada, Europe etc and then 2 weeks later flies into Bangkok and has to take a random piss test? Metabolites can stay in your system for over a month.

So don't take any drugs one month before departure. Or are you addicted?

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, Metapod said:

 

There is alot more too it though. What about the guy that smokes (legally) in US, Canada, Europe etc and then 2 weeks later flies into Bangkok and has to take a random piss test? Metabolites can stay in your system for over a month.

That person has to decide whether it is worth traveling to a country where what he does at home is illegal.  The offence is having evidence in your blood/urine, not how it got there or when. 

 

Saying that a drug in your system got there 2 weeks ago so it's ok is a waste of time, it can't be proved, you may have had a sly drag the night before in Bangkok and are just trying to weasel out if it.

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

The African dealers were conspicuous by their absence from their usual perch on the corner of Sukhumvit soi 13 last night after recent

 

Those colourful characters were just around the corner inside the soi, continuing to bring the tone of the area down.

[pearciderman]

5 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

after recent, high profile roundups so now they're going after their top customers, the Westerners.

 

Grow up! The westerner is not the "top" customer at all, a simple look at the customer base would tell you that Thais are the "top" customers.

 

 

[Thai Ron]

1 hour ago, pearciderman said:

 

Grow up! The westerner is not the "top" customer at all, a simple look at the customer base would tell you that Thais are the "top" customers.

 

 

 

You're in denial and you obviously don't have a Danny la Rue how the street works.

 

Many of those dealers on Sukhumvit are there with the blessing of the shadier elements of Lumpini police.

A lot of what they sell was once confiscated by the police and they're permitted to sell it on (minus the cops' cut) - provided they do not sell to Thais.

Every now and again, when they sell to a farang who looks like he's got a few bob, they call their police contact who intercepts the mark a little way down the street. The copper "discovers" the drugs and then shakes down the poor sap for a get-outta-jail bribe.

 

Funnily enough, your typical Thai yaba or ice addict smoking himself into a stupor in the Khlong Toey slums doesn't get down to lower Sukhumvit much and, in any case, won't run the risk of doing a drug deal in the street so it's obvious - to anyone with a clue - that Thais almost exclusively buy off Thais who usually deliver to the door.

 

Feel free to come back when you know what you're talking about.

 

 

[cmsally]

Taking antibiotics can give a false positive for amphetamines  when a urine test is done !

[KiChakayan]

4 minutes ago, cmsally said:

Taking antibiotics can give a false positive for amphetamines  when a urine test is done !

Scary...

 

Psychiatric Medications

Diazepam (Valium), a common anti-anxiety drug, can cause a false-positive result for alcohol. Another anti-anxiety medication, buspirone (Buspar), can produce a false-positive LSD test. Many antidepressant medications can cause false-positive tests for LSD, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), fluoxetine (Prozac), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil), amitriptyline (Elavil), trazodone (Desyrel), sertraline (Zoloft) and doxepin (Sinequan). Sertraline can also produce a false-positive test for benzodiazepines, while bupropion and trazodone can give a false-positive test for amphetamines. A false-positive PCP test can occur in people taking venlafaxine (Effexor), another antidepressant, and lamotrigine (Lamictal), a medication for bipolar disorder and seizures.

Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), a medication used for schizophrenia and other conditions with psychotic symptoms, can produce false-positive tests for amphetamines, opioids and LSD. Other antipsychotics, such as thioridazine (Mellaril), haloperidol (Haldol) and prochlorperazine (Compazine), can also cause a false-positive LSD test. People taking quetiapine (Seroquel), an antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder, can have a false-positive test for opioids.

Painkillers

Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve), may lead to false-positive tests for marijuana, barbiturates and PCP. Certain opioid painkillers, such as tramadol (Ultram) and meperidine (Demerol), can produce a false-positive test for PCP. Another opioid painkiller, fentanyl, can produce a false-positive test for LSD. Midrin, a combination anti-migraine medication containing acetaminophen and two other drugs, may give a false-positive reading for amphetamines.

Other Drugs

Proton pump inhibitors, such as pantoprazole (Protonix), are a group of drugs used to treat ulcers and acid reflux. They can give a false-positive test for marijuana. Ranitidine (Zantac), an acid-reducing drug also used for these conditions, can yield a false-positive result for amphetamines. A false-positive LSD test can occur in people taking metoclopramide (Reglan), a drug used for esophagus disorders or as an anti-nauseant.

Labetalol (Normadyne), a medication to lower blood pressure, can give false-positive readings for amphetamines and LSD. Verapamil (Isoptin) -- used for high blood pressure and heart problems -- can cause a false-positive test for opioids, while its close relative, diltiazem (Cardizem), can produce a false-positive LSD test. People taking methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta), which is typically used for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, may have a false-positive test for LSD. A common diabetes medication, metformin (Glucophage), can lead to a false-positive result for amphetamines.

Further Considerations

Whether taking a drug will actually cause you to have a false-positive urine drug test will depend on various factors, including the amount of the drug you are taking, when you took the last dose and the exact type of urine drug test used. Furthermore, there are other drugs in addition to those mentioned above that will sometimes cause a false-positive test. So if you are taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs, it would be wise to bring them to the drug test so they can be recorded by the tester.

Because urine tests are not perfect, they are usually considered to be just screening tests. If your test is positive, your urine sample will generally be sent to a specialized lab for retesting with a more accurate test to determine whether the result is real or a false-positive.

Reviewed and revised by: Mary D. Daley, M.D.

[impulse]

7 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

 

Only if you've taken drugs.

If you have, you've just made yourself a target, haven't you?

 

About 5-10% of the first round drug tests throw a false positive.  The list of stuff that you can take, eat and drink that will throw a false positive is mind boggling.  Google will point you to dozens of lists.

 

In fact, my BKK cardio doctor warned me to stay out of venues where I'm likely to be piss tested.  He said the later rounds of more sophisticated tests will eventually clear me, but it may be weeks before the results come in, and I'd likely be a guest at their holding facility until they did (or I paid my way out).  No big deal to stay out of bars- I don't drink.  Randomly getting pulled out of a taxi near Asoke where I live, not so easy to avoid.

 

And that's assuming the testing is done in good faith, and not to deliberately rake in some tea money.

 

 

[Thai Ron]

I'm not an advocate of random piss-testing - God knows I took my fair share of illegal substances in a previous Ibizan lifetime.

The point is that the police are using racial profiling to test those they believe - quite rightly - are buying drugs in and around that part of town.

The Africans sell drugs, the Brits, Yanks, Europeans and other farangs buy the drugs.

We're all fair game

[impulse]

4 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

I'm not an advocate of random piss-testing - God knows I took my fair share of illegal substances in a previous Ibizan lifetime.

The point is that the police are using racial profiling to test those they believe - quite rightly - are buying drugs in and around that part of town.

The Africans sell drugs, the Brits, Yanks, Europeans and other farangs buy the drugs.

We're all fair game

 

I'm pretty sure any profiling is more related to the size of our respective bank accounts, and the ease of intimidating larger sums than it is about the odds of having drugs in our system.  Yaba is a huge problem among the locals.  It's also interesting that the majority of the drug transactions happen in a different police district from the random testing.  And it's the same cop shop in the spotlight again and again.

[observer90210]

One could just hope that the tests are conducted honestly, under due supervision and accountability and does not give into forms of racket or extorsion towards those who have not taken any form of substances. 

[Destiny1990]

Forcing pedestrians to piss in the street surrounded by cops is not good for the image of Thailand.

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

Forcing pedestrians to piss in the street surrounded by cops is not good for the image of Thailand.

 

Personally I would agree, but looking tough on drugs is a popular image in Asia and an image they want to project.  At least we're not living in the Philippines!

[saminoz]

20 hours ago, rodknock said:

i thought you were only required to do a piss test at a police station?

I thought that that was a requirement too.  I guess that they can declare the tent a "temporary (or mobile) Police Station?

I also thought that they had to have a certain rank present as well (Pol.Lt or Major?) but it looks (going by all the ribbons and paraphernalia) like they all join the RTP with the minimum rank of Wing Commander anyway!

[speckio]

they need to start testing the taxi drivers.. half the drivers are probably take meth

 

a hit of meth is cheaper than a happy meal in this country

[farcanell]

4 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Forcing pedestrians to piss in the street surrounded by cops is not good for the image of Thailand.

 

Never fear.... TAT will be along shortly to put a positive spin on it. Just another element of your exotic Thai holiday (or lifestyle), including an authentic look inside one of the local jailhouses. (For an additional cost, of course)

[Nice Boyd]

21 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

Yeah, big grey area but if you could prove it with stamps in your passport or one of those cards that shows you're allowed to use marijuana for whatever reason, you might have grounds to appeal a fine or whatever.

 

Ultimately, though, it's your own responsibility to make sure you'd pass a test - maybe do one before travelling.

Yeah I have from California 

[67Vagabond]

I noticed the Africans were out in force on Sukhumvit Road Saturday night and not just in front of the 7-11 near Sukhumvit 13.  They were all the way down the road from soi 15 to soi 5.   I walked out in the street and avoided making any eye contact with them.   In the future I’ll walk down the other side of the road. 

 

Three or four years ago my taxi was stopped at Asok intersection and I was forced out, frisked and my pockets emptied.  It was a scary moment and  I had no idea what was going on.   I thought I was being shaken down for cash.     I’ve read some of the dismissive comments here but  I guess until it happens to you I guess you wont know how it feels. 

[Thai Ron]

Just now, 67Vagabond said:

I noticed the Africans were out in force on Sukhumvit Road Saturday night and not just in front of the 7-11 near Sukhumvit 13.  They were all the way down the road from soi 15 to soi 5.   I walked out in the street and avoided making any eye contact with them.   In the future I’ll walk down the other side of the road. 

 

Three or four years ago my taxi was stopped at Asok intersection and I was forced out, frisked and my pockets emptied.  It was a scary moment and  I had no idea what was going on.   I thought I was being shaken down for cash.     I’ve read some of the dismissive comments here but  I guess until it happens to you I guess you wont know how it feels. 

 

It's hardly a harrowing experience.

I've been subjected to it several times and it's gone smoothly.

Been sent on my way in less than a minute

[67Vagabond]

That you don’t consider this a harrowing experience says a lot about how our rights as human being have being eroded.   I understand after living in Thailand many years we just get used to certain things and accept it.    If it happened again it wouldn’t come as such a shock to me.      But in the larger scheme of things, in what bizzarro world is having your taxi stopped, being surrounded by at least 10 police, searched and forced to urinate OK?