Valium Bust Strands Kiwi Teen In Phuket

[moskito]

btw, most Valium pills here are copies anyway, it means there is not the same amount of diazepan inside as in the original.

I used valium which I bought in a pharmacy here (without any questioning) for my long distance flights some years ago too, until

I find out the copies doesnt helped anymore....

the best drug is a clean head anyway

[moskito]

This kid comes to Thailand and disrespects the Thai people with his drug usage? Why didn't he stay at home if he wanted to abuse drugs? Thai government must keep a hard line on this type of trouble making by farang. I think he deserves a few months inside to sober up.

LOL, the name says it all..........

and if this is not a joke, I bet my next monthly income, IF the Thai Authorities want to find SOMETHING with joker, they will

[Briggsy]

The principal use of Valium is as a sleeping pill.

You can buy it at any pharmacy in Thailand.

It costs 3-5 Baht per pill. It is usually sold in 5 mg pills. 10 mg pills are less often sold.

I do know the police at Ekamai bus station regularly check passengers coming from or going to Pattaya for Valium and Viagra, both of which are technically illegal without a prescription. They are asked to paid around 5,000 Baht to avoid jail.

I suggest if you wish to buy these drugs in Thailand, you mock up on Microsoft Word a bogus prescription from a fictitious medical centre in a foreign country. I can guarantee you the police would never check.

This case is a farce and has everything to do with Phuket police shaking down tourists for cash.

[TPI]

The articles says A package which probably means ONE package. I don't know how many pills in one package, but hardly a commercial quantity. That said, I regularly purchase medications in Thailand for 2 or 3 month supplies for my own medical use, without a scrip. If someone takes valium for medical reasons and they are sold over the counter here, why can't they stock up?

My chemist tells me that the only drug I need a presciption for is"plavix"??

[spacebass]

This is ludicrious. It's illegal to have them, but it's 'quasi' legal to sell them!

This is one of the specific reasons I told my son when he comes from Australia to NOT bring any medicines unless I k now of them first, so that I can advise him accordingly.

The Aussy embassy in Bangkok were very helpful in regards to prescription medication as I'm sure the other embassies are.

Mind you I nearly fell over backwards when I asked the embassy about a certain medication for ADHD my son had been taking. The embassy comes back and says that it is a legal amphetamine derivative <deleted>!? (dexamphetamine) BUT with strictly controlled quantities coming into Thailand

Dexamphetamine is a controlled drug in the UK. It is not a derivative of amphetamine it is amphetamine sulphate, true blue (!!!) amphetamine, though they were yellow in the old days. 'Blues' were Drinamyl a mixture of amylobarbitone and amphetamine hydrochloride which have since to be judged to have no clinical use and are no longer made.

All rather similar to the legendary Purple Hearts of days long gone. Bennies in the U.S..

The only use of Dexamphetamine they have managed to establish is ADHD and Narcolepsy (The inability to stay awake).

They are very illegal.

Edited January 17, 2010 by spacebass

[Puccini]

...I guess they don't pay the police to THINK...

Aren't you putting the cart before the horse? There is a law, the Medicines Act, dating back to B.E. 2510 (1967) with a few amendments since then. This law, or a Ministerial Regulation based on it, requires pharmacies to keep the prescriptions they fill for review by FDA inspectors, particularly if the prescription is for a schedule 4 medicine. From the OP we know that there is a later law, Psychotropic Substances Act of 1974, stating that the possession of diazepam without a prescription is illegal and a later post cites a Police Superintendent saying that "if you have these drugs in your possession without a prescription, the police have the right to arrest you". So there you are: your doctor prescribes you Valium, you buy it from a pharmacy, the pharmacy keeps the prescription, and now you are illegally in possession of Valium and can be arrested for it. I guess the people didn't elect lawmakers who could think.

[PeaceBlondie]

Dexadrine - called Ritalin in the USA and Rubifen here - is NOT illegal. It is very tightly regulated for sufferers of ADD and narcolepsy.

[bridge]

Mmmmm, how many did he have in his possession? 1, 5, 10, 1000?

Would be interested to know?

[Jingthing]

Mmmmm, how many did he have in his possession? 1, 5, 10, 1000?

Would be interested to know?

They said a package. I think that is clear enough. A small amount. If it had been a large amount, I am sure they would have mentioned that ... more potential baksheesh, yes?

[lensta]

Can someone please tell me if you get a script from a doctor for some meds, go to the chemist and hand over the script to get it filled, the chemist gives you the meds, how the hel l can can you still have the script to show the police cause now the chemist has it

[Puccini]

...how the hel l can can you still have the script to show the police cause now the chemist has it

You can't. After your arrest you have to wait for the court hearing and have the pharmacist testify that he sold you the medicine against a doctor's prescription and/or have the doctor testify that he prescribed you the medicine. That is if the legal situation is indeed as quoted by the Police Superintendent. If there were a more complicated procedure, I am sure the Thai lawmakers would have thought of it and implemented it.

[Jingthing]

Yeah, as the other guy said, this one is a TIT's TIT.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Jingthing

[dananderson]

...how the hel l can can you still have the script to show the police cause now the chemist has it

You can't. After your arrest you have to wait for the court hearing and have the pharmacist testify that he sold you the medicine against a doctor's prescription and/or have the doctor testify that he prescribed you the medicine. That is if the legal situation is indeed as quoted by the Police Superintendent. If there were a more complicated procedure, I am sure the Thai lawmakers would have thought of it and implemented it.

Many Thai pharmacies wether they be in Pattaya or Patong follow the letter of the law and insisit on thai-doctor written prescriptions for meds of this class. A doctor visit ususally costs all of 200b-simply have a copy made and don't go tooling around nightclubs w/a plastic "script-bag". Methinks there is more to this sad tale than meets the eyes

[geriatrickid]

Valium is an addictive drug and should not be self prescribed. I think the authorities did the kid a favour healthwise.

btw, most Valium pills here are copies anyway, it means there is not the same amount of diazepan inside as in the original.

It is unfortunate most people that purchase popular drugs do appreciate that that nor do they read the product monographs or look at the box for "brand" name drugs purchased at the local pharmacy. These "brands" are often copies.

Can someone please tell me if you get a script from a doctor for some meds, go to the chemist and hand over the script to get it filled, the chemist gives you the meds, how the hel l can can you still have the script to show the police cause now the chemist has it

The proper procedure at a professional pharmacy, such as a hospital, is to print out a label that gives the dosing instructions along with the name of the prescribing physician. I think the pharmacies that do not do this are quite happy to be able to have a "no name" drug box out there that is hard to link back to them when it turns out the drug is tainted or not what was purported to have been sold.

This incident does hold the regulatory body and the order of pharmacists up to the light. Rather than hit out at the users, the most effective and ethical strategy woiuld be to follow the rules. Pharmacists that sold the drugs without a prescription should have their licenses suspended and shops closed. It is unethical for a pharmacist to sell prescription drugs to unknown patients and without a script. Welcome to Thailand.

[Jingthing]

For every teen buying Valium "illegally" without a scrip, there are easily 100 men buying ED drugs without a scrip, and I don't mean Education Visas.

[Johpa]

Dexadrine - called Ritalin in the USA

Maybe I am I just getting old, but in the US I always thought that dexadrine was simply called "speed". Ritalin was just a politically correct name for the same drug often over prescribed to children. Sort of like calling heroin in a pill form oxycontin as it allows those who abhor heroin addicts to sedate themselves in the same manner.

But really, you can buy a small amount of valium to take on the airplane from most pharmacies in Thailand. I use to buy them for the flights until realized that staying hydrated made for a better experience.

[SeanMoran]

The proper procedure at a professional pharmacy, such as a hospital, is to print out a label that gives the dosing instructions along with the name of the prescribing physician.

... and also the name of the passport holder.

For me it's not so much a mindbender as a lungbender to help me breathe, known as prednisolone, which is hard to get now in Thailand, but some honest pharmacists still remember me from years gone by and help me stay alive to write this.

I brang that pill bottle from Australia with my name on it, and this bullshit that the western world had placed upon the land of the free aka Thailand is going to kill a lot of human beings for the sake of a few people's pathetic little professions and salaries.

I have enough pred now to last me until I die, but I feel sad for the others here. When Thailand refuses to let some people have the drugs that they need to survive, then how do you think that Lord Buddha imagines that will reflect back on them?

Good luck, Thai authorities.

Give the kid a break.

[surangw]

"I fail to understand how this works. Someone can go into a pharmacy and buy a medication and then get arrested for having it, without the pharmacy getting into trouble."

the pharmacy notifies the cops who buys stuff if they are likely targets for extortion ( fines)

[TheJoker12]

This kid probably intended to distribute them to other school children when he got back. Perhaps he was already doing so in Thailand. I am sure he wanted the Valium for "his headache". Yeah right! A whole package? What is that, 100 pills? I tell you, the farang that come here just keep getting worse and worse.

[chiang mai]

The articles says A package which probably means ONE package. I don't know how many pills in one package, but hardly a commercial quantity. That said, I regularly purchase medications in Thailand for 2 or 3 month supplies for my own medical use, without a scrip. If someone takes valium for medical reasons and they are sold over the counter here, why can't they stock up?

My chemist tells me that the only drug I need a presciption for is"plavix"??

Not sure if that was a joke but you do not need a prescription for Plavix.

[LivinLOS]

This is ludicrious. It's illegal to have them, but it's 'quasi' legal to sell them!

Just think this way.. Its legal for a Thai to sell them, illegal for a farang to have them.. See the difference

[LivinLOS]

...how the hel l can can you still have the script to show the police cause now the chemist has it

You can't. After your arrest you have to wait for the court hearing and have the pharmacist testify that he sold you the medicine against a doctor's prescription and/or have the doctor testify that he prescribed you the medicine. That is if the legal situation is indeed as quoted by the Police Superintendent. If there were a more complicated procedure, I am sure the Thai lawmakers would have thought of it and implemented it.

Many Thai pharmacies wether they be in Pattaya or Patong follow the letter of the law and insisit on thai-doctor written prescriptions for meds of this class. A doctor visit ususally costs all of 200b-simply have a copy made and don't go tooling around nightclubs w/a plastic "script-bag". Methinks there is more to this sad tale than meets the eyes

ha ha ha.. Yeah superb.. Best laugh of the morning !!

I have had vials of liquid morphine (real medical reason) given to me, with the vials for home use in Patong !!

[Ulysses G.]

Dexadrine - called Ritalin in the USA and Rubifen here - is NOT illegal. It is very tightly regulated for sufferers of ADD and narcolepsy.

Dexedrine and Ritalin are two different drugs.

Dexedrine is a form of amphetamine and is euphoric - really good stuff (until you crash). Ritalin uses a different type of stimulant and really sucks the big one.

Please do not make stuff up about drugs. Many moons ago, I used to have large amounts of Ritalin and pretty much gave it away for free. For a few minutes, I thought that I been giving away Dexies and was most distressed!

Edited January 18, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[PeaceBlondie]

Dexadrine - called Ritalin in the USA

Maybe I am I just getting old, but in the US I always thought that dexadrine was simply called "speed". Ritalin was just a politically correct name for the same drug often over prescribed to children.

Jopha, maybe maybe we're both old already.

5 or 10 mg doses of dexadrine don't equate to speed. For someone properly diagnosed with ADD or narcolepsy, it barely keeps us awake and alert. There are cases of misdiagnosis, but probably no overdoses. But if your dog eats an entire month's supply of Adderol, you'll have to have his stomach pumped, as my daughter had to get.

[Heng]

The kid probably just said something stupid or rude. Could have said something as simple as 'left my prescription at home, could you go ahead and just discard it for me?" and that would have been that.

[fredob43]

As usual rip off phuket. You can buy the same drug where I live for 80baht. At least when the cop's nab you you'll have an extra 120baht toward's the fine

[way2muchcoffee]

The kid probably just said something stupid or rude. Could have said something as simple as 'left my prescription at home, could you go ahead and just discard it for me?" and that would have been that.

That may be how it works for you every time Heng, but you are a connected local. For your typical tourist or expat, yes, being polite might get you off, but then again it might not.

[animatic]

This kid comes to Thailand and disrespects the Thai people with his drug usage? Why didn't he stay at home if he wanted to abuse drugs? Thai government must keep a hard line on this type of trouble making by farang. I think he deserves a few months inside to sober up.

No, why not just go the whole hog......just shoot him and save the cost of the bowl of rice you get in a Thai jail.

Drug abuser? Do you know even what Diazapam is used for? It is a tranquiliser, but is used as a muscle relaxant for the control of severe/spasmodic back pain. The biggest abusers of this particular drug are mainly housewives...given bottles of the stuff by their respectable doctors. So do you reckon these drug addicts should be flung in a dungeon as well for a few months??

Wake up......and try to come into the modern world.

:D

Hear hear, to all the clapping.

A too long day of diving, even if your young, but not used to that level of exertion,

is enough to cause back spasms requiring Valuim or equivalent to calm it down,

and or with a muscle relaxant.

I was prescribed it for 9 months after an accident 30 years ago.

In that length of time it can be come addictive, and is no fun to get over.

There is NOTHING in the OP that suggest abuse, only arrest for possession.

A Thai Pharmacy would listen to the symptoms and look at the person in pain

and had out 6-9 for three days to get over the pain with out thinking much about it.

I would never go out dancing with that on me, for just this reason, getting busted by zelous BiB,

even if I planned to sit and watch friends party.

Edited January 18, 2010 by animatic

[Beardog]

It sounds like the officials were pissed that the kid didn't go to any clinic & spend 100 baht & get a prescription. How hypocritical is that . You can buy them over the counter but can't take them unless you have a script. Like telling a kid you take to a candy store you can look but not have any. Sounds like the officer hasn't been with a girl for to long & is grumpy.

[dttk0009]

Poor kid and complete hypocrisy on the behalf of the authorities. The article even states that the cops allow the sale and distribution of xanax and valium in Phuket. Why pick on a kid? Let's hope the judge is in a good mood.