Picture: 77kaoded

 

Thai media 77kaosod highlighted the continuing problem of the so called "Ya Narok" or Drug of Hell that is plaguing Thai society.

 

It is Ya Ba - methamphetamine mixed with caffeine - the drug of choice in Thailand that is flooding in unabated from meth labs in Laos. 

 

Despite the Thai authorities' so called war on drugs the menace continues with horrendous crimes associated with its use in the Thai media daily.

 

A tablet is thought to cost about 80 baht a time. 

 

Prolonged use can cause paranoia or panic attacks.

 

This is being blamed on a horrendous case in Ubon Ratchathani in the north east where a spooked drug addict son now named as Anek Ithi, 33, murdered his parents in a cassava growing area and put them in a charcoal oven, a story reported earlier on ASEAN NOW.

 

Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe

 

It happened in Saraphi sub-district of Pho Sai district.

 

In latest developments in the case the Thai media quoted the murderer's younger sister and brother in law as saying that the drug crazed individual had been out of control for some time.

 

He had even attacked animals and damaged property that seemed to be a precursor for the attack on his parents.

 

However, they never thought it would come to this saying he had never attacked anyone prior to the murders. 

 

Meanwhile, Anek is refusing to talk with investigators waiting until the effects of his drug taking wear off. 

 

Aetna Platinum+ Light on premium, great on coverage

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-03-18

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

It would seem there's more going on than reported. My neighbour put a hammer to his father's head. Another in the next village.. I have not seen any reported news on these. (or it's  possibly in Thai news that I don't see) 

Crack down hard on ya-ba and fully legalize ganja.

The results would be immediate and beneficial.

Similar cases like this seems to be regularly occurring incidents here in Thailand. I’ve read in the news many times when the son attacks the mom/dad/grandparent for finally cutting them off from the daily drug or alcohol money.

37 minutes ago, JingerBen said:

Crack down hard on ya-ba and fully legalize ganja.

The results would be immediate and beneficial.

The precursor for the manufacture are coming across the porous borders, and controlled by people more powerful than the enforcement agencies who are often compromised.

 

Too much money being made by influential and sometimes uniformed people.

Thailand has a huge drug issue, most youngsters these days are on something, and it's readily available on every corner of every town in every province.

3 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

The precursor for the manufacture are coming across the porous borders, and controlled by people more powerful than the enforcement agencies who are often compromised.

 

As I see it-based on a perspective of 40+ years here-the problem is not so much supply as it is demand.

   In the late '70s and well onto the '80s ya-ba was called "ya-mah", horse medicine.

   It was only given to racehorses.

   Then along came the War on Drugs brought to you by... well, let's not get into that.

   Ganja, which had always been readily available in Thailand, was demonized as "a weed with roots in hell" and outlawed.

   Many young locals turned to ya-mah and the elders started calling them "kee yah-bah" when they'd go violent.

   Let's go back to the way it was before the drug war warped our sense of values. Don't bogart that joint.

   To those who say "Carnage on the highways" I say bulls balls.

   Look at tje figures from places where it has already been legalized.

  It might tend to make them even more cautious on the roads.

  Back in the day, I can't remember one single fight caused by ganja, but there were plenty caused by booze and later by yah-ba.

   Legalize herb, do everybody a favor.

   

 

7 minutes ago, JingerBen said:

As I see it-based on a perspective of 40+ years here-the problem is not so much supply as it is demand.

   In the late '70s and well onto the '80s ya-ba was called "ya-mah", horse medicine.

   It was only given to racehorses.

   Then along came the War on Drugs brought to you by... well, let's not get into that.

   Ganja, which had always been readily available in Thailand, was demonized as "a weed with roots in hell" and outlawed.

   Many young locals turned to ya-mah and the elders started calling them "kee yah-bah" when they'd go violent.

   Let's go back to the way it was before the drug war warped our sense of values. Don't bogart that joint.

   To those who say "Carnage on the highways" I say bulls balls.

   Look at tje figures from places where it has already been legalized.

  It might tend to make them even more cautious on the roads.

  Back in the day, I can't remember one single fight caused by ganja, but there were plenty caused by booze and later by yah-ba.

   Legalize herb, do everybody a favor.

   

 

I can only agree overall with  what you have stated.

 Ganja has been used by many cultures for many reasons for hundreds of generations.

Synthetic concoctions have been around for maybe two generations and have already  created huge social hazards and permanent psychological/physical destruction.

 

 

4 hours ago, JingerBen said:

Crack down hard on ya-ba

If only they tried that before. 

12 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

If only they tried that before. 

They have never seriously tried that before.

   First, get somebody like Big Joke to root out corruption like he did at the CM IO a while back.

  He got down on the lowest bureaucratic levels and then worked his way up.

   The result was a noticable improvement in courtesy and efficiency.

   It is possible with the right people.

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by JingerBen

18 minutes ago, JingerBen said:

They have never seriously tried that before.

   First, get somebody like Big Joke to root out corruption like he did at the CM IO a while back.

Taksin's war on drugs killed thousands of Ya Ba users and dealers. 

An off topic deflection post about alcohol deaths and the replies have been removed.

1 hour ago, JingerBen said:

As I see it-based on a perspective of 40+ years here-the problem is not so much supply as it is demand.

   In the late '70s and well onto the '80s ya-ba was called "ya-mah", horse medicine.

   It was only given to racehorses.

   Then along came the War on Drugs brought to you by... well, let's not get into that.

   Ganja, which had always been readily available in Thailand, was demonized as "a weed with roots in hell" and outlawed.

   Many young locals turned to ya-mah and the elders started calling them "kee yah-bah" when they'd go violent.

   Let's go back to the way it was before the drug war warped our sense of values. Don't bogart that joint.

   To those who say "Carnage on the highways" I say bulls balls.

   Look at tje figures from places where it has already been legalized.

  It might tend to make them even more cautious on the roads.

  Back in the day, I can't remember one single fight caused by ganja, but there were plenty caused by booze and later by yah-ba.

   Legalize herb, do everybody a favor.

   

 

Spot on comment.

I smoked weed for decades and now will never tough it again but use CBD for pain or sleep, wonderful stuff and no high. I can say if the Thais wanted to make up for some lost revenue due to covid a move to Pot Tourism and in general legalize it and allow medicinal use would be a boon for the economy.

 

O happen to know some world class experts on the subject that could get an industry up and running here in no time if they took care of quality control issues that the illegal market overlooks but still keep the price point realistic,

 

Win win for everybody and its not like Yaba you can quit quite easily with no long term damage.

Booze and speed kill.

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Listen, these Thai drivers cannot handle alcohol. You want to push for ganja legalisation ? , then lets get the alcohol deaths down first before adding another 20-30 a day deaths of weed smoking Thais !!

Smoking Yaba on a piece of tinfoil is really common among Thai youths, and it is a dangerous habit, as the kick is really fast and hard, and it is highly addictive; if you ever met a bar girl who was really twitchy and could not stop talking, you would have an obvious candidate (normally you will not see the enlarged pupils in low light, but they are unmistakable too).

 

As the pills are produced under unsanitary circumstances, they can contain a high amount of toxic impurities, so often long-time use leads to kidney or liver issues (yellow eyes, jaundice).

 

Different to the west it often does not start as a recreational habit, but is needed to handle long-time shift work in factories, when driving or working on fishing boats. Therefore people take it continuously, which heightens the risk of paranoia and other mental breakdowns, as the signalling enhancement due to the drug is never relaxed and the brain cannot regenerate its receptors.

When using it recreationally later-on, I have observed Thais to often mix it with alcohol, which creates its own severe stresses on the brain (amphetamines are a very strong upper, alcohol a strong downer; so cross-consuming them is an absolute no-no).

 

Compared to smoking ganja, where you would be basically unable to work when smoking too much, or alcohol, this is a totally different effect (and danger) mechanism. Therefore it makes absolutely zero sense to compare any of these drugs the way you did.

 

The solution for this is, of course, not blanket bans which simply cannot be enforced, but better drug education, as seemingly not only Thais are unaware of this most basic information.

7 hours ago, JingerBen said:

Crack down hard on ya-ba and fully legalize ganja.

The results would be immediate and beneficial.

I second this. Legalize MY drug and crack down hard on other people's drugs.

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Too much money being made by influential and sometimes uniformed people.

 

When Thucksin was PM he did crack down on Ya Bar ,to a good  extent, in my area they were a reduction in the amount of Ya Bar around.

The word was, one reason for the coup was that the army generals  were not happy about the money they were losing  in selling  drugs ,so he had to go .

 

When the drug of hell meets the driver from hell  it will be the day from hell no one will be safe by the sound of it ????

3 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

I can only agree overall with  what you have stated.

 Ganja has been used by many cultures for many reasons for hundreds of generations.

Synthetic concoctions have been around for maybe two generations and have already  created huge social hazards and permanent psychological/physical destruction.

 

 

Maybe 2 generations ya reckon ????????????????

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-meth

Ephedra been around just as long as ganga mate. 

Pot heads always want to argue the toss. 

 

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by starky

1 hour ago, JackGats said:

I second this. Legalize MY drug and crack down hard on other people's drugs.

But but my drugs ok mmmkay

Has anybody ever done ya ba? What was it like?

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite the Thai authorities' so called war on drugs the menace continues with horrendous crimes associated with its use in the Thai media daily.

Wars on drugs don’t work. 

Rampant in the villages in North East.

 

I'd say 70% of the villagers use YaBa, or the cheaper and even more addictive ICE.

 

Police sell it.

 

They have annual crackdowns where 5,000 baht will get you off scott free.

Edited March 18, 20224 yr by MrJ2U

5 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Taksin's war on drugs killed thousands of Ya Ba users and dealers. 

As well as many who were neither. 
 

https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/03/12/thailands-war-drugs

8 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

Quote

Crack down hard on ya-ba

If only they tried that before. 

7 hours ago, JingerBen said:

They have never seriously tried that before.

????

 

 

7 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Taksin's war on drugs killed thousands of Ya Ba users and dealers. 

how many innocent ones ?

9 hours ago, starky said:

Maybe 2 generations ya reckon ????????????????

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-meth

Ephedra been around just as long as ganga mate. 

Pot heads always want to argue the toss. 

 

Ephedra wasn't a problem until  corporate chemists turned it into the basis of one.

I am no pot head. Are you a crack head?

5 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

how many innocent ones ?

No one if they simply condoned what was going on

13 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Taksin's war on drugs killed thousands of Ya Ba users and dealers. 

Yes, and quite some innocent people became colleteral damage in the process.  It's Thaksin btw, Taksin was someone else. 

Edited March 19, 20224 yr by SoilSpoil

Ya ba in Thailand and fentanyl or worse car fentanyl, killer drugs for sure. 

  Many people around the world dying from taking drugs, it is a bad

situation, that will not stop in our lifetimes, sadly.  I am just glad that the only drugs

I take are caffeine in coffee, etc, and some alcohol spirits.  Plus some pills the

doctors give me for some of my ailments.

2 hours ago, Stargeezr said:

Ya ba in Thailand and fentanyl or worse car fentanyl, killer drugs for sure. 

  Many people around the world dying from taking drugs, it is a bad

situation, that will not stop in our lifetimes, sadly.  I am just glad that the only drugs

I take are caffeine in coffee, etc, and some alcohol spirits.  Plus some pills the

doctors give me for some of my ailments.

Fentanyl and oxycodone are often prescribed by doctors as first line pain control, which of course can often does lead to addictions. Many drugs taken by addicts including valium are doctor prescribed