Look at drug abuse from a medical perspective: Paiboon

By THE NATION

 

General Paiboon Koomchaya

 

A PRIVY councillor suggested yesterday that the government take a medical approach toward tackling drug problems instead of resorting to criminal proceedings.

 

“Putting drug abusers behind bars does not mean they can give up drugs,” General Paiboon Koomchaya, who served as justice minister before being appointed to the Privy Council in late 2016, said at a seminar yesterday. 

 

Organised by HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha’s Projects Office, the seminar addressed drugs-related issues in a bid to encourage relevant parties to explore solutions from lessons learnt from the past. 

 

Paiboon said more than 220,000 people in Thailand had been put behind bars for drugs-related offences. 

 

“We have to look for ways to take these people out of jail and help them contribute constructively to their families and society,” he said. 

 

 According to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong, the number of inmates in Thailand hovered at around 6,000 six decades ago, jumped to 75,000 in 1977, before reaching the overwhelming number of 356,000 at present. 

 

“Thailand is ranked 6th in the world when it comes to the number of inmates,” Prajin pointed out.

 

Paiboon added that he had personally taken part in several drugs-related arrests while he was posted in border provinces. 

 

“However, my attitude toward drug suspects changed over time. Illicit drugs are just like alcohol and cigarettes, as they damage people more,” he said. 

 

He added that while he was at the helm of the Justice Ministry, he had pushed for the amendment of several laws so the drug problem could be tackled from a medical perspective. Prajin also cited a US study, which showed that drug addiction was a disease, not a moral failure. 

 

Steve Sussman, a professor of preventive medicine, psychology and social work at the University of Southern California, said in his 2017 study that drug-abuse was not the only addictive disorder in today’s world. 

 

Meanwhile, Professor Bruce Alexander from Canada’s Simon Fraser University told the seminar that people should be aware of other forms of addiction too. 

 

“When one repeats the same behaviour again and again, addiction can develop. When a person gets addicted, he gets taken away from his family,” he said, adding that it takes time, constant effort and patience in solving addiction problems. 

 

“Be kind and patient. Then, we will see tangible results,” Alexander said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351852

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-10

"...Paiboon said more than 220,000 people in Thailand had been put behind bars for drugs-related offences..."

 

There is a simple and easy way to enact change quickly;

 

• De-criminalize and legalize weed immediately and free all inmates who are serving time because of it.
• Provide medical care and addiction treatment for anyone using Yaba

Weed is (relatively) harmless; treat it as such.

 

Yaba is some bad, bad stuff; treat it as such.

 

And, watch your prison system improve overnight.

 

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

Prajin also cited a US study, which showed that drug addiction was a disease,

Albeit, a normally self inflicted one.

If you don't try heavy drugs in the first place, (yaba, crack, heroin, etc.), you won't get the 'so called' disease.

In the future they will need to let them go , the prisons are too full , the costs to keep the drug offenders in prison will be too much for the government ....anyway , they admitted themselves that they cannot win the war against drugs ... so , legalize cannabis now , it can keep youngsters away from Yaba , Ice etc .

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Paiboon said more than 220,000 people in Thailand had been put behind bars for drugs-related offences..."

 

There is a simple and easy way to enact change quickly;

 

• De-criminalize and legalize weed immediately and free all inmates who are serving time because of it.
• Provide medical care and addiction treatment for anyone using Yaba

Weed is (relatively) harmless; treat it as such.

 

Yaba is some bad, bad stuff; treat it as such.

 

And, watch your prison system improve overnight.

 

Half right.  Meth is a just substitute for coke.  The war on drugs caused the current problems.  Surprise surprise. 

Second point the article fails to address  is this truth:

Like alcohol,  the proportion of users who are addicts or become addicted is quite small.  

When the world gets it's head around this simple fact, the panic can die down, and prohibition can finally go in the trashcan of history. 

3 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

In the future they will need to let them go , the prisons are too full , the costs to keep the drug offenders in prison will be too much for the government ....anyway , they admitted themselves that they cannot win the war against drugs ... so , legalize cannabis now , it can keep youngsters away from Yaba , Ice etc .

Agree with your main thrust,  but legalizing one drug won't divert, or conversely, lead to more use of another. 

The mainstream thinking on drugs is based on baseless propaganda. 

Given the tonnes of drugs around, the trillions invested in fighting and pushing, where are all the addicts? 

All Illicit drugs are no more a public health risk than alcohol. 

I could freely buy and OD on vodka right now. But I don't. Even though I drink a fair bit. 

Why would fixed purity heroin be any different? 

Beer sits next to the soda in the 7 eleven, but I've never seen anyone worry that a kid might buy, or even steal the beers.   

Why would meth sold like cigarettes be any different? 

If anyone thinks any drug will make the world end by being legal, they know nothing about addiction, or the true behaviour of the vast majority of drug users worldwide. 

Imprisoning people is addictive. Getting used to large law enforcement budgets is addictive. Justifying the use of certain drugs over other drugs is addictive. Staying the course in a losing battle is insanity.

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Albeit, a normally self inflicted one.

If you don't try heavy drugs in the first place, (yaba, crack, heroin, etc.), you won't get the 'so called' disease.

Addiction is in the person. 

Never in ANY drug.  

Sugar is a drug.  

Excessive unhealthy food can become an addiction in a person, leading to an early death. 

Most child abuse victims turn out to 'self medicate' on hard drugs, as did many Vietnam vets. 

Some users stop automatically when they're removed from the stressor, such as being drafted to die in a useless war.   

Ignorance is also self inflicted.

These are helpful things to know about the world around you, next time you post. 

 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

A PRIVY councillor suggested yesterday that the government take a medical approach toward tackling drug problems instead of resorting to criminal proceedings.

Now, there is a rather enlighten statement to say the least.  The "War On Drugs" will never be 'won' using battlefield tactics.  If battlefield tactics worked, the "War" would have been won decades ago. 
Enlightened: Medical intervention, education, decriminalization. 
Even more enlightened: legalization, regulation, and as a side benefit, taxation. 
Even the simplest politician and government official must consider how much of a 'cash crop' that marijuana would be and the amount of monies that would be generated by it's cultivation in Thailand.  Give up the stupid criminalization of marijuana and kratom and then concentrate on slowing the trafficking of hard drugs such as meth and heroin while diverting user to medical treatment.  It should be a no-brainer: empty the prisons where 70% of the inmates are locked up on drug charges therefore decreasing the outflow of public funds to incarcerate 'users', cultivate marajuana and kratom as taxable cash crops, educate the school age kids to the real dangers of meth, crack, and opioid addiction based on science as opposed to some clap-trap about morality.

Edited August 10, 20187 yr by connda

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Albeit, a normally self inflicted one.

If you don't try heavy drugs in the first place, (yaba, crack, heroin, etc.), you won't get the 'so called' disease.

The urge to start trying out and using drugs, not being able to withstand that urge is a mental "disease", of maybe just a specific weakness.

Of course it all boils down, in most cases, to a kind of destructive "do it yourself", but there are "starters".

You can put all the 'sad' icons you want,  Thaiwrath. 

Or you can defend your discredited thinking on drugs against those who've been on both sides of the debate (myself) and changed 180 when presented with overwhelming evidence,  and scientifically proven truths. Paiboon, who has attended lawmaker drug summits at the UN.

The British  Medical Journal,  and the Royal College of Physicians, who have openly called for the legalization of ALL drugs. 

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, hansnl said:

The urge to start trying out and using drugs, not being able to withstand that urge is a mental "disease", of maybe just a specific weakness.

Of course it all boils down, in most cases, to a kind of destructive "do it yourself", but there are "starters".

Sorry,  This is just rubbish. All of it. 

There are drug users. 

There are a small percentage who become dependent. 

There are no 'drug abusers'. 

It's BS from propaganda class 101.

Dehumanise or demonise your target, and majority will swallow the bait, and fall over themselves fighting to grab a pitchfork, when they should be thinking about the message behind the message,  and why it's being sent at all. 

The war on drugs is a war on the poor. 

The rich walk almost everywhere, not just here. 

The only kingpins brought in are those that threaten to destabilise the elite themselves,  Why? 

 

The banksters are fined for money laundering,  the fines not their personal money, it's the banks.  They're never jailed,  Why?  

 

They know well who the druglords are so why ain't they obliterated by Special Forces, *before* they own a government.  Why?   

 

Stop believeing Nancy Bloody Reagan, and start thinking about how we've been played on the science,  and even the common sense, of what drugs are, who uses, and why it's never going away,  and definitely gaining acceptance,  and their vast popularity exposed in the size and frequency of busts.  No matter how many people the real criminals in this war, murder,  and incarcerate. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 20187 yr by Small Joke

4 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

legalize cannabis now , it can keep youngsters away from Yaba , Ice etc .

I agree, except the youngster part. Kids under, let's say 25, should not use any drugs, as they would hamper the development of their brains. This is especially important in this country, where they could use all help they can get in this matter.

Can we all agree that the current system of jailing addictive people is not working? Alternatives such as treatment and decriminalizing should be tried.    The war on drugs has been a disaster not a good solution. 

Id leave piles of drugs for free on every street corner. The Weak die and the strong dont get robbed or die.?.


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8 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

Can we all agree that the current system of jailing addictive people is not working? Alternatives such as treatment and decriminalizing should be tried.    The war on drugs has been a disaster not a good solution. 

Agreed. And even if they still feel a need to punish with prison time, then put them in prison just long enough to dry them out, then move them in a clinic to help prepare them mentally for the challenge of staying clean, then let them out to try getting their life sorted. Maybe after two or three fails, then some serious time in the pen.

Right people right place and right time Circa 1990 American Cree Indian.

 

Drug Court. Needle exchanges. Education. People who know.

8 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Albeit, a normally self inflicted one.

If you don't try heavy drugs in the first place, (yaba, crack, heroin, etc.), you won't get the 'so called' disease.

Have you ever detoxed someone off hydro? Plain old smoking dope. I have. Its a disease read what the WHO says about it. I have 20 years experience. A healthy person don't wake up one day and say "I think I will use heroin". Its a progression in their life. I still have a T shirt in my wardrobe from Fernando given as a Christmas present. 2003. It stays there. He died at the end of January, 21 years old. His Dad came into the service to thank us. I felt guttered. One of many. 

 

Hop off your soap box and go and see if you can go and do some volunteer work to understand what you are talking about. Because what you said means jack sh*t to what I know, saw and felt.

Half right.  Meth is a just substitute for coke.  The war on drugs caused the current problems.  Surprise surprise. 
Second point the article fails to address  is this truth:
Like alcohol,  the proportion of users who are addicts or become addicted is quite small.  
When the world gets it's head around this simple fact, the panic can die down, and prohibition can finally go in the trashcan of history. 

Totally different drug, meth is meth and coke is coke.

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