Drug Abuse Is A Social Problem, Not Only Criminal: Thai Opinion

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Drug abuse is a social problem, not only criminal

The Nation

Police scheme to label neighbourhoods and communities as 'clean' of drugs could backfire if wider factors such as education, poverty and job opportunities are not considered

Thailand's "war on drugs" is taking an interesting turn that could be aimed at attracting the participation of local communities through initiatives that, to some extent, resemble a blame-and-shame tactic.

Under this scheme, the police would put up a sign in a community designating it as "clean and white", or drug free. But if any one member of the community - who may or may not live there, but is registered at an address in the community - is found guilty on any illicit-drugs charge, then the sign would be removed.

On the surface, it sounds like a good idea - empowering local residents with some degree of incentive to police or look after their own. But given the rigidity of our house-registration system, it would be unfair to hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a convicted or alleged drug-user or dealer who is registered in the community but may not necessarily live there.

One good thing about this initiative is that a "body count" is no longer the benchmark for success.

In early 2003, the then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra unleashed a three-month-long campaign against drugs that ended in the deaths of some 2,500 people. With the exception of about two or three cases, including one that involved the death of a young child, the authorities blamed the deaths on "silence killing" - bad guys killing bad guys. As a result of a later investigation authorised by the interim government of Surayud Chulanont, some of the victims were discovered to be political figures, including some who were allegedly about to squeal on their competitors.

Permitting the community to have a say in this issue should not absolve the police of their responsibility for maintaining law and order.

But is a reward in the form of an announcement from the police worth the trouble this may cause? This is a question that needs to be debated. After all, the police force is one of the institutions with a credibility problem in the eyes of the public. What we can say right now is that the police have not been a source of comfort for the community, and the memories of the controversial drug war of 2003 still linger in the minds of many people.

Some members of the public may have already forgotten the controversial campaign, which is a sad reflection on Thai society for not giving due process the benefit of the doubt.

We don't like the way system works but we don't do much about it. Many of us have this attitude that democracy is a free ride and that we as individuals don't have much of a role other than to elect our representatives. But when our elected leaders become corrupt and the system throws up abuses like Thaksin's drug war, we turn a blind eye simply because we don't like the scourge of drugs.

For the "drug-free community" campaign to have any chance of working, we have to do more than pay lip service to the idea of empowerment. It's not all rosy, no matter how nice a picture the police might want to paint it of it.

If we want to make a meaningful impact, we have to accept the fact that drug abuse is a social issue, not solely an issue of law and order in a narrow sense.

Because it is a social issue, we have to treat it as such. We can start by treating drug addicts as patients, not as criminals who we must lock up before throwing away the key. In other words, we need to seriously consider the idea of decriminalising drugs.

We can shout all we want about how bad drugs are, but if we don't show the addicts and our vulnerable youth that there are things in this world to live for - good education, job opportunities and the hope for a dignified life free of grinding poverty - drugs will continue to be an alternative for those looking for an escape.

-- The Nation 2011-10-08

[mijan24]

Because it is a social issue, we have to treat it as such. We can start by treating drug addicts as patients, not as criminals who we must lock up before throwing away the key. In other words, we need to seriously consider the idea of decriminalising drugs.

We can shout all we want about how bad drugs are, but if we don't show the addicts and our vulnerable youth that there are things in this world to live for - good education, job opportunities and the hope for a dignified life free of grinding poverty - drugs will continue to be an alternative for those looking for an escape.

Great in theory (does not work) if you want simple examples look at the government/do gooders self injecting rooms in Kings Cross they have not solved the problem only provided centralised selling points!

After all, the police force is one of the institutions with a credibility problem in the eyes of the public. What we can say right now is that the police have not been a source of comfort for the community.

Rightly so they (the police) feed off the monies made from the sales -Why would they eliminate the "Golden Goose" They (the BiB) openly solicit for bribes should they aprehend a wrong doer who has connections to money

Read Par 3 of the original post -On the surface, it sounds like a good idea goes on to say - But given the rigidity of our house-registration system, it would be unfair to hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a convicted or alleged drug-user or dealer who is registered in the community but may not necessarily live there.

I would say a great proportion of Thais do no actually reside at the residence where they are registered in a housbook (Tabien Ban).

Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows.

[scotbeve]

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure someone will in the forum...), but wasn't there (during the old drug war) a bonus incentive for the BIB to receive when KNOWN drug traffickers were caught or killed in shootouts with given evidence? Which leads to the question, were the BIB too trigger happy? The "blame" should have been directed more to the national police chief of the day than to the govt administration.....

[somo]

The BIB control the drug biz. Why would they destroy it.

They may use this latest campaign to get rid of a few that are going it alone but that is all.

[hellodolly]

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure someone will in the forum...), but wasn't there (during the old drug war) a bonus incentive for the BIB to receive when KNOWN drug traffickers were caught or killed in shootouts with given evidence? Which leads to the question, were the BIB too trigger happy? The "blame" should have been directed more to the national police chief of the day than to the govt administration.....

Ya right lay all the blame on the ones who do the work.

White wash the ones who plan it and pay for it.

Your red shirts never miss a trick in your insane drive to please the master.

[TAWP]

So this time they are hoping local people take the law in their own hand and 'clean up' their neighborhoods...so the police don't get into hot water for shooting too many again.

Loss of face over loss of sign sounds like a cynical way of forcing [Thai]people into forming vigilante groups carrying out...extra-judicial justice.

[daninthai]

So this time they are hoping local people take the law in their own hand and 'clean up' their neighborhoods...so the police don't get into hot water for shooting too many again.

Loss of face over loss of sign sounds like a cynical way of forcing [Thai]people into forming vigilante groups carrying out...extra-judicial justice.

Yes, Most Thais don't seem to understand how a legal system should work. Having laws that are well-thought out, enforced fairly, presumption of innocence, guilt found in court, punishments that fit the crime (not just a transfer to another police station).......... If given a choice between (A) making Thailand a wonderful country using 'foreign' ideas, and accepting the imagined loss of face that entails, or ( b ) living in a s***hole country but at least you're doing it your own way, ........ I wonder which Thais would choose.

Edited October 8, 2011 by daninthai

[473geo]

Getting the message across that drugs are not socially accepted has got to be a good start

You'd be surprised how unacceptable smoking is becoming, kids will still try it, but the mindset appears to be spreading that smoking is uncool

I have also seen a major shift in drinking habits through two genrations in Thailand, mostly driven by the attitude to drunks by the community, so making the effort to involve the community, is to me a good idea

Sadly there will always be those who incapable of maintaining a balanced view, point out the possible extremes, in order to provide a basis for criticism

Edited October 8, 2011 by 473geo

[Yme]

Up the The Nation's usual standard. "In early 2003, the then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra unleashed a three-month-long campaign against drugs that ended in the deaths of some 2,500 people."

This figure has been disputed and refuted over the years:

"Wildly proclaimed by some with vested interests as being a bloody orgy of extra-judicial executions by the Royal Thai Police (RTP) in which 2,575 alleged drug offenders were killed in the first three months – the official figure is 72 killed in 58 incidents involving police and 70,000 people arrested – statistics show that the only time the number of drug offenses decreased in Thailand between 1999 and 2009 was in this period.

In the ensuing five year period following the "Thaksin war on drugs" the number of drug cases has risen by 1,797 per cent, with Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board says there was 223,294 drug offenses detected in Thailand in 1999, but in 2004 only 55,243"

War on drugs a failure says international group

and then this from the Human Rights Watch Report:

"In October 2003, Thailand’s foreign minister told the U.S. State Department that 2,593 homicide cases had occurred in the country since the previous February, more than double the normal level of about 400 homicides per month.15 On December 15, 2003, after the end of the first phases of the campaign, the Royal Thai Police reported 1,329 drug-related homicides (out of 1,176 separate incidents) since February, of which seventy-two (in fifty-eight incidents) had been killed by police. More than 70,000 people allegedly involved in the drug trade were arrested."

[timberboy]

Using this idea [which is the idea used in the military,blaming everyone for one persons error], is unfair and disgraceful to the honest good law abiding citizens. The police have a job to do, let them do it. But dont try to shame the public for the fact that drug abuse exists.

[TAWP]

Up the The Nation's usual standard. "In early 2003, the then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra unleashed a three-month-long campaign against drugs that ended in the deaths of some 2,500 people."

This figure has been disputed and refuted over the years:

"Wildly proclaimed by some with vested interests as being a bloody orgy of extra-judicial executions by the Royal Thai Police (RTP) in which 2,575 alleged drug offenders were killed in the first three months – the official figure is 72 killed in 58 incidents involving police and 70,000 people arrested – statistics show that the only time the number of drug offenses decreased in Thailand between 1999 and 2009 was in this period.

In the ensuing five year period following the "Thaksin war on drugs" the number of drug cases has risen by 1,797 per cent, with Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board says there was 223,294 drug offenses detected in Thailand in 1999, but in 2004 only 55,243"

War on drugs a failure says international group

Did you just quote convicted John Le Fevre's 'photo journalism' blog?

Not the best of sources. (He has a colorful history. In Thailand too.)

But nothing in that link disproved the number of up to 2,500 victims.

[fasteddie]

Because it is a social issue, we have to treat it as such. We can start by treating drug addicts as patients, not as criminals who we must lock up before throwing away the key. In other words, we need to seriously consider the idea of decriminalising drugs.

We can shout all we want about how bad drugs are, but if we don't show the addicts and our vulnerable youth that there are things in this world to live for - good education, job opportunities and the hope for a dignified life free of grinding poverty - drugs will continue to be an alternative for those looking for an escape.

Great in theory (does not work) if you want simple examples look at the government/do gooders self injecting rooms in Kings Cross they have not solved the problem only provided centralised selling points!

After all, the police force is one of the institutions with a credibility problem in the eyes of the public. What we can say right now is that the police have not been a source of comfort for the community.

Rightly so they (the police) feed off the monies made from the sales -Why would they eliminate the "Golden Goose" They (the BiB) openly solicit for bribes should they aprehend a wrong doer who has connections to money

Read Par 3 of the original post -On the surface, it sounds like a good idea goes on to say - But given the rigidity of our house-registration system, it would be unfair to hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a convicted or alleged drug-user or dealer who is registered in the community but may not necessarily live there.

I would say a great proportion of Thais do no actually reside at the residence where they are registered in a housbook (Tabien Ban).

Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows.

''Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows''

And therein lies the problem, there are far to many people in the world who think it is their right to control us. It isn't! and why should it be? Just because you don't want to do something, why do you think you have the right to tell me I can't. The world wide war on drugs is a complete and utter failure, all it does is force up prices and empower criminals and tie up massive resources which could be put to much better use. Legalise, tax and control all drugs and let us who want to, have fun.

[Tanaka]

So this time they are hoping local people take the law in their own hand and 'clean up' their neighborhoods...so the police don't get into hot water for shooting too many again.

Loss of face over loss of sign sounds like a cynical way of forcing [Thai]people into forming vigilante groups carrying out...extra-judicial justice.

Yes, Most Thais don't seem to understand how a legal system should work. Having laws that are well-thought out, enforced fairly, presumption of innocence, guilt found in court, punishments that fit the crime (not just a transfer to another police station).......... If given a choice between (A) making Thailand a wonderful country using 'foreign' ideas, and accepting the imagined loss of face that entails, or ( b ) living in a s***hole country but at least you're doing it your own way, ........ I wonder which Thais would choose.

I think they have chosen. And as for your first sentence, to me, sadly, it seems that this may be one base for the problems: "Most Thais don¨t seem to understand how"

[Tanaka]

Because it is a social issue, we have to treat it as such. We can start by treating drug addicts as patients, not as criminals who we must lock up before throwing away the key. In other words, we need to seriously consider the idea of decriminalising drugs.

We can shout all we want about how bad drugs are, but if we don't show the addicts and our vulnerable youth that there are things in this world to live for - good education, job opportunities and the hope for a dignified life free of grinding poverty - drugs will continue to be an alternative for those looking for an escape.

Great in theory (does not work) if you want simple examples look at the government/do gooders self injecting rooms in Kings Cross they have not solved the problem only provided centralised selling points!

After all, the police force is one of the institutions with a credibility problem in the eyes of the public. What we can say right now is that the police have not been a source of comfort for the community.

Rightly so they (the police) feed off the monies made from the sales -Why would they eliminate the "Golden Goose" They (the BiB) openly solicit for bribes should they aprehend a wrong doer who has connections to money

Read Par 3 of the original post -On the surface, it sounds like a good idea goes on to say - But given the rigidity of our house-registration system, it would be unfair to hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a convicted or alleged drug-user or dealer who is registered in the community but may not necessarily live there.

I would say a great proportion of Thais do no actually reside at the residence where they are registered in a housbook (Tabien Ban).

Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows.

''Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows''

And therein lies the problem, there are far to many people in the world who think it is their right to control us. It isn't! and why should it be? Just because you don't want to do something, why do you think you have the right to tell me I can't. The world wide war on drugs is a complete and utter failure, all it does is force up prices and empower criminals and tie up massive resources which could be put to much better use. Legalise, tax and control all drugs and let us who want to, have fun.

Brilliant! And let the paedophils, rapists, thieves, killers et al, also have their fun! Why should only you be allowed your fun? Most laws are there for a reason. To control those who do not understand basics in human cohabitants.

[TAWP]

Brilliant! And let the paedophils, rapists, thieves, killers et al, also have their fun! Why should only you be allowed your fun? Most laws are there for a reason. To control those who do not understand basics in human cohabitants.

First you need to understand the difference between 'me' and 'you'.

The government shouldn't be involved as long as your actions only affect 'you'. It is however reasonable that there are laws limiting your rights to infringe on my rights, i.e. negatively affect 'me'.

Your suggestion is therefor ludicrous.

[fasteddie]

Because it is a social issue, we have to treat it as such. We can start by treating drug addicts as patients, not as criminals who we must lock up before throwing away the key. In other words, we need to seriously consider the idea of decriminalising drugs.

We can shout all we want about how bad drugs are, but if we don't show the addicts and our vulnerable youth that there are things in this world to live for - good education, job opportunities and the hope for a dignified life free of grinding poverty - drugs will continue to be an alternative for those looking for an escape.

Great in theory (does not work) if you want simple examples look at the government/do gooders self injecting rooms in Kings Cross they have not solved the problem only provided centralised selling points!

After all, the police force is one of the institutions with a credibility problem in the eyes of the public. What we can say right now is that the police have not been a source of comfort for the community.

Rightly so they (the police) feed off the monies made from the sales -Why would they eliminate the "Golden Goose" They (the BiB) openly solicit for bribes should they aprehend a wrong doer who has connections to money

Read Par 3 of the original post -On the surface, it sounds like a good idea goes on to say - But given the rigidity of our house-registration system, it would be unfair to hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a convicted or alleged drug-user or dealer who is registered in the community but may not necessarily live there.

I would say a great proportion of Thais do no actually reside at the residence where they are registered in a housbook (Tabien Ban).

Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows.

''Drugs are illegal prosecute and punish those that break the law Do Gooders be aware of the situation in Britain brought on by following Do Gooder policies - there are a proportion of the population world wide that need to be controlled when we fail to recognise this mayhem follows''

And therein lies the problem, there are far to many people in the world who think it is their right to control us. It isn't! and why should it be? Just because you don't want to do something, why do you think you have the right to tell me I can't. The world wide war on drugs is a complete and utter failure, all it does is force up prices and empower criminals and tie up massive resources which could be put to much better use. Legalise, tax and control all drugs and let us who want to, have fun.

Brilliant! And let the paedophils, rapists, thieves, killers et al, also have their fun! Why should only you be allowed your fun? Most laws are there for a reason. To control those who do not understand basics in human cohabitants.

Thanks for the analogy, just want the freedom to smoke a spliff without ending up in a cell with some of your aforementioned friends.

[nisakiman]

Brilliant! And let the paedophils, rapists, thieves, killers et al, also have their fun! Why should only you be allowed your fun? Most laws are there for a reason. To control those who do not understand basics in human cohabitants.

First you need to understand the difference between 'me' and 'you'.

The government shouldn't be involved as long as your actions only affect 'you'. It is however reasonable that there are laws limiting your rights to infringe on my rights, i.e. negatively affect 'me'.

Your suggestion is therefor ludicrous.

Correct.

Using drugs, like smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, is a victimless 'crime'. (And don't bring up the old 'second-hand smoke' baloney - I can provide dozens of links to prove that the SHS/ETS scam is based purely on junk science and manipulated statistics). The only reason it has become a social problem is because it is illegal.

Why shouldn't fasteddie smoke a spliff whenever he wants?

Does it impact on you?

No.

Does it impact on me?

No.

Does it impact on society?

No.

So apart from taking a self-righteous moral standpoint (which is, of course, completely subjective), there is no reason for any drugs to be illegal. It merely heaps misery on everyone.

The users, who are forced to pay black-market prices for goods of dubious provenance and be criminalised into the bargain.

The people upon whom addicts prey to feed their illegal, thus expensive habit.

The authorities, who have (or choose) to spend obscene amounts of money and manpower on a campaign which will never end, since it will never be won.

And all this because of a hard-core section of society have a prohibitionist mindset and want to control what others do, regardless of the collateral damage.

To quote H.L. Mencken:

"Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."

And that's what it's all about. "I don't like it, so nobody should be allowed to do it".

If someone wants to go to hell in a handcart then that is their affair. Not yours, not mine, and not the government's.