Englishman Arrested For Dealing Methamphetamine

[sbk]

Pattaya Police arrested an Englishman for possession of methamphetamine. He claimed it was for personal consumption......

He said he bought the drugs from a Thai agency whose name he doesn’t know. He claimed that the drugs were for his personal use, but that he sold whatever he didn’t use, himself, to his foreign friends......

The evidence consisted of Methamphetamine (Yah Ice) in 20 small clear plastic bags, with a total weight about 16.1 grams....

Police set up an operation in which they ordered Yah Ice from him and managed to catch and arrest Mr. Michael Snell.

He was in possession of over 16 grams of an illegal drug, regardless of whether or not people agree on legalizing drugs the fact of the matter remains that he was in possession of drugs with the intent to sell.

I believe most people realize that possessing drugs with the intent to sell is illegal in most countries. I sincerely doubt he was unaware of the illegality of his position, hence his attempt to say it was for personal use.

As for those advocating legalization of drugs, I found this report on Meth from the North County Times in San Diego:

The local cost of methamphetamine abuse has long been evident in property crime, broken families and the loss of life, but a less visible toll is the financial strain and additional workload the drug places on emergency rooms.

"It's the nature of the lifestyle," said. Dr. Mike Sise, trauma medical director at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. "Methamphetamine takes your life away. You lose your job. You lose your family."

With no job and no insurance, meth users have little hope of paying for emergency hospital bills.

"It causes a lot of lost revenue," Sise said about the expense at Scripps Mercy alone. "We calculated the annual uncompensated cost of care went up to over $1.5 million a year."

Compounding the problem, meth users are likely to hurt themselves more severely than other patients admitted to trauma centers, he said.

"All sorts of injuries," Sise said about what emergency room doctors see with patients who use meth. "And they were injured worse."

Meth abusers are more likely to attempt suicide, have a violent injury, have an altercation with law enforcement and be involved in domestic violence, he said.

Scripps Mercy is one of two level-one trauma centers in the county. Besides treating patients, level-one centers teach, conduct research and publish their findings.

The survey was the only one of its kind conducted at a county hospital, and the data did not include patients treated at the emergency room at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

Data for the region

Palomar Pomerado Health System does not screen trauma patients for the presence of drugs so it does not have information about the injuries sustained to patients on meth or the cost of treating those injuries, said Andy Hoang, communications manager at the hospital district.

In Riverside County, neither Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta nor Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, just north of Temecula, had data about the effects of meth on emergency rooms, said Teresa Fleege, spokeswoman for the hospital system.

As part of its research, Scripps Mercy analyzed methamphetamine's effects on the hospital by reviewing 4,932 consecutive trauma patients who underwent toxicology screening from 2003 to 2005. The sample represented 76 percent of all trauma patients seen in those three years.

During that time, meth passed marijuana as the most-common illicit drug used by trauma patients. In 2003, about 10 percent of trauma patients tested positive for meth. In 2005, the amount had increased to 15 percent.

A violent world

Patients who were on meth showed a dramatic difference in the severity and types of injuries they suffered. Those patients were twice as likely to have a violence-related injury and twice as likely to have attempted suicide.

Specifically, 47 percent of meth-positive patients had a violent injury compared with 26 percent of patients who tested negative for the drug.

Meth-positive patients had 33 percent more assaults, 96 percent more gunshot wounds and 158 percent more stab wounds than patients who tested negative.

Twice as many suicide attempts and twice as many domestic-violence victims tested positive for meth than those who tested negative.

About 2 percent of patients had an altercation with a law officer and tested positive for meth, compared to 0.3 percent who had an altercation and tested negative.

Watching the scores

Injuries also were more severe with patients on meth. Using a rating called an injury-severity score, trauma doctors gave patients who tested positive a score of 11.2 compared to 10 for patients who tested negative.

Patients who tested positive for meth were 62 percent more likely to receive mechanical ventilation, 53 percent more likely to have surgery and 113 percent more likely to die from their injuries. Patients who tested positive for meth also were twice as likely to leave against medical advice.

"This was something we felt was important to look at because we do see a fair amount of methamphetamine," Sise said about the research. "It's a recurrent theme in the injuries we see."

Sise said he was not surprised by the findings. He and other doctors who compiled the research are publishing their findings in the August edition of the Journal of Trauma. An abstract with the findings already has been presented at scientific meetings, and the hospital's research was published earlier this year in American College of Emergency Physicians News.

Hospitals report

The hospital's findings are similar to other studies on the drug's effects on emergency rooms.

In 2006, a survey in Midwest states revealed an increase in meth-related injuries at emergency rooms and additional costs to treat those injuries.

The National Association of Counties survey found 73 percent of 200 county and regional hospitals had an increase in the number of people visiting emergency rooms for meth-related problems over five years.

Meth-related incidents accounted for 10 percent of emergency-room visits in 70 percent of hospitals in the Midwest and 80 percent in the Upper Midwest, the survey found.

High costs of meth

Of all the hospitals in the survey, 56 percent said their costs have risen because of the drug.

In 2004, the Archives of Surgery, a monthly professional medical journal, published similar findings about trauma patients at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.

The smaller study ---- it looked at 212 patients over 12 months ---- also found meth-positive patients had more and greater injuries than other patients. Of 212 patients in the study, 57 tested positive for amphetamine or methamphetamine.

Of meth-positive patients, 37 percent had self-inflicted injuries or intentional assaults, while 22 percent of patients who tested negative had similar injuries.

That study also found that meth-positive patients had longer hospital stays and had higher hospital charges.

staff writer Gary Warth

[Head Snake]

Meth is a scourge. It really does make a holes out of alot of people.

Back in the USA, I knew some people hooked on that crap. All of them lost their job.

Random drug tests really aren't that random. Its the people that don't use drugs who know when a random drug test will be administered to somebody showing symptoms. Its that evident.

That post from SBK tells the story. If that stuff could be eliminated, we'd have a better world. Legalize it my a$$

[mikethevigoman]

Drinking in moderation, ok.

Getting pissed and aggressive. Not ok.

Smoking in moderation, ok.

Smoking to excess, not ok.

Take illegal drugs and dealing in moderation? Just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. The law is the law, he fcked up he's going down for it, so quit whining, as its not changing anything.

Why do you think taking illegal drugs cannot be in moderation?

You obviously have never tried any.

Very good reply ,. i know many people ( youngsters in the uk ) that are saturday night e takers, up to them, but thats it, a once a week maximum thing they like to do,( similar to drinking ). i think an addict will get addicted to anything they can get their hands on, if they are that way inclined,and to add a reply to another comment above i dont know any doctor that would say smoking in moderation was ok !

[Maigo6]

OK, let's put it this way...........

Hand's up all of those that have taken an Illegal drug and became addicts.

Hand's up all those that have taken legalised drugs that were prescribed by their doctors and became dependent on them ?

How many of you are addiced to Nicotine ?

How many of you get pissed up every now and then, or even drink socially at weekends ?

How many of you have at one time or another taken Illegal drugs, even if it was only a few speed pills when you was a kid, or a Tab of Acid or an E, and never became dealers or addicts ?

[Neeranam]

The local cost of methamphetamine abuse has long been evident in property crime, broken families and the loss of life, but a less visible toll is the financial strain and additional workload the drug places on emergency rooms.

"It's the nature of the lifestyle," said. Dr. Mike Sise, trauma medical director at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. "Methamphetamine takes your life away. You lose your job. You lose your family."

With no job and no insurance, meth users have little hope of paying for emergency hospital bills.

I think the point maigohok was trying to make was, why have alcohol legal and meth not. SBK has posted about the dangers of the drug - I could post a thousand about the cost of alcohol or tobacco, which are IMO worse.

[cdnvic]

The local cost of methamphetamine abuse has long been evident in property crime, broken families and the loss of life, but a less visible toll is the financial strain and additional workload the drug places on emergency rooms.

"It's the nature of the lifestyle," said. Dr. Mike Sise, trauma medical director at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. "Methamphetamine takes your life away. You lose your job. You lose your family."

With no job and no insurance, meth users have little hope of paying for emergency hospital bills.

I think the point maigohok was trying to make was, why have alcohol legal and meth not. SBK has posted about the dangers of the drug - I could post a thousand about the cost of alcohol or tobacco, which are IMO worse.

I think you'd find that regular users of alcohol have on average, a much better life than regular users of meth. A daily drinker can be hard to spot. A daily user of meth sticks out like a sore thumb.

[esbobes]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

[cdnvic]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

You liberals and your soft touch

[Donnyboy]

there are many cases in NZ where by a meth'd up user has gone on the rampage and killed using samurai swords, robbed banks and so forth. Is this the society that you want your children to grow up in, and exposed to? Cause Im sure it will if we sell it like alcohol and cigarettes in 7-11 and the corner store.

this stuff aint a harmless weed backy, its dangerous stuff. Would you offer it to your child like a beer when he/she turns 20????? Honestly would you??

[ColPyat]

I think you'd find that regular users of alcohol have on average, a much better life than regular users of meth. A daily drinker can be hard to spot. A daily user of meth sticks out like a sore thumb.

Meth is maybe not the right drug when proposing legalization. But still - taken in moderation, and that means rarely, it does not cause all the effects described in the more paranoid articles. All substances have their own dangers, including alcohol, and when taken have to be taken responsibly.

The problem is that in illegality education on responsible use of substances is just not possible, even research is very difficult. How many years did it take to be able to talk about the facts that Ganja has some very useful effects in pain management, and for many conditions?

Opium has some very useful effects on patients with depression, but it can't be used, or even properly researched.

[meemiathai]

I know people who are hooked on to drugs. I know people who only take drugs occasionally. I can buy any drugs anytime I like even if it is illegal. So why am I not a drug addict? Are people saying that everyone will become a drug addict if it was :)legalized?

It really does not affect me for drugs being legal or not. It is just that I can't stand stupidity and the society contradicting and fooling itself. I can't stand innocent people being put to death or jail for life! And that is very ugly! Shame on those who murder those innocent lives!

[Donnyboy]

I know people who are hooked on to drugs. I know people who only take drugs occasionally. I can buy any drugs anytime I like even if it is illegal. So why am I not a drug addict? Are people saying that everyone will become a drug addict if it was :)legalized?

It really does not affect me for drugs being legal or not. It is just that I can't stand stupidity and the society contradicting and fooling itself. I can't stand innocent people being put to death or jail for life! And that is very ugly! Shame on those who murder those innocent lives!

some of these people put to death or prisoned for life are usually dealing/trafficking drugs, not users- innocent no- stupid-yes. Shame on those who think theyre innocent.

[Donnyboy]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

but if he had killed by driving a Merc into a crowd and having a famous mum, and was apparently cuckoo, and a thai national,that would be ok??

[a2396]

Send him to USA. Plenty of customers there & probably a better "profit margin" for him, if he's not assinated my the Mexican cartel or step on some gang-bangers turf.

[Prakanong]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

Only farang or African and Asianb too

In Singapore the law is already in place - more than 2 grammes its the death sentence.

What is the law in Thailand?

If he has not broken it to a degree to the extent the death sentence is available then are you advocating the govt passing a law and then applying it retrospectively to this man?

Now I am totally anti-drugs but to apply a law retrospectively is just plain wrong and the sign of a thrid world country - I am sure it would not happen in Thailand

[the gent]

As the saying goes " speed kills ".

An addiction to crystal meth will probably do it quicker than most other drugs. I recall the late lamented Frank Zappa opining that " it rots your teeth, makes your hair fall out and you generally wind up like your parents ", an ironic comment on its effects upon the brain among the more obvious disadvantages.

Extolling the virtues of speed as the drug of choice is tantamount to declaring an interest in self destruction possibly within 5 years of commencing addiction.

Nonetheless, advocating death for suppliers is somewhat excessive not least because prospects for rehabilitation are not good.......

[t.s]

It sounds like L.V. Mansion is going to have some shakedowns. I wonder where "Mr. Mike" has gone.

um, the article indicates the police staition and then jail.

[t.s]

Amphetamine addiction does not cause very strong physical withdrawal symptoms. Mostly a bit of stomach ache, and the need for lots of sleep.

What causes hel_l is the lack of seratonin, the chemical agent the brain produces to make one happy. Under prolonged amphetamine use the brain diminishes or looses the capacity to produce that chemical. It takes a while until this ability comes back (with some of the heaviest addicts it doesn't).

One of the best methods to go on withdrawal is to use Ganja to compensate until the brain can start producing those chemicals again.

Nonsense - you've never been addicted to it, have you?

I haven't, but several family members and close friends have been addicted to Yaa Maa. And to add - i have experimented with Yaa Maa several times before the drug war, and i can see the reasons for its appeal and addictiveness, and what it does to one's brain.

But they have all said the same - exactly the 'nonsense' i have posted here. And we have used Ganja very successfully to help them.

Explains a lot. Thanks for enlightening me

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

I believe you should go to the core of the issue when dealing with the drugs debate.

Put simply, we should be demanding the arrest/execution of those responsible for making our societies so mundane/stressful that people feel the need to resort to drugs (of any kind) to 'escape'.

Edited September 2, 2007 by Jim's_a_Thai_Fox

[t.s]

Amphetamine addiction does not cause very strong physical withdrawal symptoms. Mostly a bit of stomach ache, and the need for lots of sleep.

What causes hel_l is the lack of seratonin, the chemical agent the brain produces to make one happy. Under prolonged amphetamine use the brain diminishes or looses the capacity to produce that chemical. It takes a while until this ability comes back (with some of the heaviest addicts it doesn't).

One of the best methods to go on withdrawal is to use Ganja to compensate until the brain can start producing those chemicals again.

Nonsense - you've never been addicted to it, have you?

I haven't, but several family members and close friends have been addicted to Yaa Maa. And to add - i have experimented with Yaa Maa several times before the drug war, and i can see the reasons for its appeal and addictiveness, and what it does to one's brain.

But they have all said the same - exactly the 'nonsense' i have posted here. And we have used Ganja very successfully to help them.

Explains a lot. Thanks for enlightening me

i dont think you can be enlightened. you have obviously formed your own opinion, though it is likely based on hearsay, with little to no firsthand knowledge or experience.

[sriracha john]

Amphetamine addiction does not cause very strong physical withdrawal symptoms. Mostly a bit of stomach ache, and the need for lots of sleep.

What causes hel_l is the lack of seratonin, the chemical agent the brain produces to make one happy. Under prolonged amphetamine use the brain diminishes or looses the capacity to produce that chemical. It takes a while until this ability comes back (with some of the heaviest addicts it doesn't).

One of the best methods to go on withdrawal is to use Ganja to compensate until the brain can start producing those chemicals again.

Nonsense - you've never been addicted to it, have you?

If your brain ever gets to the point where it "looses the capacity to produce seratonin"[sic], it's likely because you're dead. It (serotonin) is an essential neurotransmitter, without which, your brain would not function...... at all.

[mikethevigoman]

OK, let's put it this way...........

Hand's up all of those that have taken an Illegal drug and became addicts.

Hand's up all those that have taken legalised drugs that were prescribed by their doctors and became dependent on them ?

How many of you are addiced to Nicotine ?

How many of you get pissed up every now and then, or even drink socially at weekends ?

How many of you have at one time or another taken Illegal drugs, even if it was only a few speed pills when you was a kid, or a Tab of Acid or an E, and never became dealers or addicts ?

To quote a monthy python sketch."i know i have " ( and didnt ),. any more confessions ?

[mikethevigoman]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

Really? and if he was your brother/son ?

[tijnebijn]

Singopore kills Drug Dealers.

Thailand should kill Farang drug Dealers.

This fool comes Thailand from the UK to deal

We should write the Govt to kill himl

Really? and if he was your brother/son ?

Indeed , people make mistakes .

Some overly , does not mean men should kill men .

[ColPyat]

Amphetamine addiction does not cause very strong physical withdrawal symptoms. Mostly a bit of stomach ache, and the need for lots of sleep.

What causes hel_l is the lack of seratonin, the chemical agent the brain produces to make one happy. Under prolonged amphetamine use the brain diminishes or looses the capacity to produce that chemical. It takes a while until this ability comes back (with some of the heaviest addicts it doesn't).

One of the best methods to go on withdrawal is to use Ganja to compensate until the brain can start producing those chemicals again.

Nonsense - you've never been addicted to it, have you?

If your brain ever gets to the point where it "looses the capacity to produce seratonin"[sic], it's likely because you're dead. It (serotonin) is an essential neurotransmitter, without which, your brain would not function...... at all.

I am not a neurologist, but i think my amateurish assessment was not that wrong:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/229/4717/986

Hallucinogenic amphetamine selectively destroys brain serotonin nerve terminals

G Ricaurte, G Bryan, L Strauss, L Seiden, and C Schuster

(+/-)-3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an amphetamine analog with hallucinogenic activity, produced selective long-lasting reductions in the level of serotonin, the number of serotonin uptake sites, and the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in rat brain. Morphological studies suggested that these neurochemical deficits were due to serotonin nerve terminal degeneration. These results show that MDA has toxic activity for serotonin neurons in rats and raise the question of whether exposure to MDA and related hallucinogenic amphetamines can produce serotonin neurotoxicity in the human brain.

[sriracha john]

Amphetamine addiction does not cause very strong physical withdrawal symptoms. Mostly a bit of stomach ache, and the need for lots of sleep.

What causes hel_l is the lack of seratonin, the chemical agent the brain produces to make one happy. Under prolonged amphetamine use the brain diminishes or looses the capacity to produce that chemical. It takes a while until this ability comes back (with some of the heaviest addicts it doesn't).

One of the best methods to go on withdrawal is to use Ganja to compensate until the brain can start producing those chemicals again.

Nonsense - you've never been addicted to it, have you?

If your brain ever gets to the point where it "looses the capacity to produce seratonin"[sic], it's likely because you're dead. It (serotonin) is an essential neurotransmitter, without which, your brain would not function...... at all.

I am not a neurologist, but i think my amateurish assessment was not that wrong:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/229/4717/986

Hallucinogenic amphetamine selectively destroys brain serotonin nerve terminals

G Ricaurte, G Bryan, L Strauss, L Seiden, and C Schuster

(+/-)-3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), an amphetamine analog with hallucinogenic activity, produced selective long-lasting reductions in the level of serotonin, the number of serotonin uptake sites, and the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in rat brain. Morphological studies suggested that these neurochemical deficits were due to serotonin nerve terminal degeneration. These results show that MDA has toxic activity for serotonin neurons in rats and raise the question of whether exposure to MDA and related hallucinogenic amphetamines can produce serotonin neurotoxicity in the human brain.

The "wrong" part is the difference between lower levels of serotonin and your erroneous implication that serotonin production is stopped (made in another post somewhere else, as well, as I recall).

That and the fact that MDA is quite different from the simple "amphetamine" use you were describing.

Additionally, the article describes rat brains, which, while similar, are obviously not as complex nor indentical to human brains.

The use of marijuana (Cannabis) as a valuable treatment adjunct while withdrawing from amphetamine addiction wasn't mentioned in that article. Is advocating this therapy modality cited elsewhere?

Edited September 2, 2007 by sriracha john

[cdnvic]

I believe you should go to the core of the issue when dealing with the drugs debate.

Put simply, we should be demanding the arrest/execution of those responsible for making our societies so mundane/stressful that people feel the need to resort to drugs (of any kind) to 'escape'.

That is by far the lamest justification for drug use I've yet to read, and I live in a city full of hippies.

Blame everyone else, and take no responsibility for your own actions.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

hi,

It was not meant as a justification for drug use.

A complex and emotional situation can be viewed from many differing view points.

Alas, it would be nigh on impossible to get rid of all of those responsible for creating an environment/society where people feel the desire to take drugs - as nearly every parent would fall into that category.

[wilko]

Which is worse? The law or the drug??

[larvidchr]

Drinking in moderation, ok.

Getting pissed and aggressive. Not ok.

Smoking in moderation, ok.

Smoking to excess, not ok.

Take illegal drugs and dealing in moderation? Just doesn't cut it I'm afraid. The law is the law, he fcked up he's going down for it, so quit whining, as its not changing anything.

Why do you think taking illegal drugs cannot be in moderation?

You obviously have never tried any.

There is no such thing as being high on ice in moderation.