1.2 Million Thais Are Addicted To Drugs

[OZEMADE]

I found this on the last page of this forum topic.

It states that back then in 2003, there were 63,000,000 Thais and there were 3,000,000 on drugs.

Posted 2003-11-09 23:54:28

Thais use morality against meth

BAN PANG LAO, Thailand - This rice-farming village in the hills of northern Thailand was being destroyed by drugs.

Children stole from family rice stores to buy methamphetamine -- the drug of choice for most Thai addicts -- and outsiders drove into town all night long to buy the little orange pills from a few dozen villagers who had taken up drug dealing full-time.

Then, backed up by angry residents and relatives, village elders threatened the drug dealers and users with a terrifying fate for a Thai: If they died, no one would attend their funerals and no monk would say prayers for their souls.

The dealers and users soon went clean, and no one suffered ostracism.

"The thing villagers fear most is dying and not having anyone help with their cremation," said Sumalee Wanarat, a former teacher who now works with Ban Pang Lao's anti-drug program.

Thai Buddhists believe the soul will be consigned to ###### if funeral rites are not performed properly.

A well-attended funeral -- usually an elaborate affair of relatives and musicians -- is one of the main requirements of a proper cremation.

"We set up village rules and told them that if they were involved with drugs, we would cut them off from the community completely," said Sumalee.

The last of the 53 known drug dealers in the village of 1,500 people gave up the trade within months. Addicts were weaned from the habit.

"We have to depend on ourselves because we suffer the consequences, not the outsiders," Sumalee said.

Ban Pang Lao's success is being touted as a model for Thais to come up with indigenous -- and perhaps ingenious -- ways to combat the country's drug epidemic, and government officials brought foreign journalists to the village to show off its achievement.

Previously, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's administration had focused on a bloody campaign to wipe out drug dealers, giving police wide latitude to arrest suspects and freedom to shoot those who resisted.

Thailand's drug problem can be traced to neighboring Myanmar, where drug lords, dominated by the former rebel United Wa State Army, operate with impunity in border areas.

Granted virtual autonomy by Myanmar's military regime under a peace deal, the Wa produce millions of methamphetamine pills in factories close to the Thai border.

The drugs are smuggled by jungle trails into Thailand.

Last year, Thai police seized a record 95.4 million methamphetamine tablets, according to the Office of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

The Public Health Ministry estimates 3 million of Thailand's 63 million people regularly abuse drugs.

In big cities, including the capital, Bangkok, 420 miles south of Ban Pang Lao, drug dealers can blend in among street urchins and vendors.

But in villages, there are no secrets. "We could point to each house where the dealers and addicts lived," Sumalee said.

Rice farmer Supat Vintavud was the first person to bring methamphetamine, known in Thailand as "ya ba" or "crazy drug," to the village in 1997.

Supat, 35, said hill tribesmen he worked with on odd jobs introduced him to "ya ba" to give him the strength and endurance to drag large sacks full of ginger.

"But I kept needing more, and if I didn't take it, I was weak, tired and grumpy," said Supat, who works now as a community anti-drug worker.

For four years, he sold and used drugs. He could sell 200 pills a day and earn the equivalent of $250, a hefty sum in an area where most farmers make the equivalent of $100 to $200 a month.

Others soon took up the trade, and drug use spread in the village, fueling petty theft to pay for the pills. Young users took from their family rice stocks, and objects disappeared from the village temple and school, Sumalee said.

The community woke up to the seriousness of its problem after two villagers were murdered by rival dealers from another province and a 10-year-old was found using and delivering "ya ba" to buyers.

Turning the dealers in to police would have solved nothing, Sumalee said, because they would be set free after paying bribes and would mock the elders.

"I was arrested as I was about to give up dealing," said Narong Supanyo, a farmer who shriveled from 216 pounds to 140 pounds because of his addiction. "I had just sold my last two pills, when 10 or so police drove up the road."

He said that if he had paid a $75 bribe to the officers, they would have let him go immediately, but he had only $50.

Narong said he spent 48 days in jail, and still had to pay police $163 to be freed.

--AP 2003-11-09

[Scott]

Several off-topic post have been removed and replies to them.

[livinginthericepatties]

i would say its much higher, i know just in the few surrounding villages of a dozen arrests, drugs is a capital punishment i think still in thailand, stay away from them and anyone dealing them if you can.

[RogueLeader]

A lot of work has to be done in the anti drug war.

Yes. It needs to be stopped.

There's no doubt, anyone stupid and weak enough to dabble in drugs are just climbing aboard the slippery slide to being a full addict !

So does everyone who drinks become an alcoholic?

[RogueLeader]

. I really don't understand people who, for petty political gain, oppose the war on drug.

You have admitted that you don't understand. That's a good start. Perhaps you should read some books?

[BazilFox]

"over 300,000 addicts underwent drug rehabs" complete and total fantasy. All the Thai rehabs combined could accommodate maybe 1000 people a year. And for those, throwing up and praying is the treatment model. Thai people without money have almost no treatment options and the government has consistently declines foreign help and consulting about their addiction problem.

Agree completely.

[hellodolly]

2% of the Thai population are drug addicts. speaks volumes

Counting alcohol as a drug the true percentage would be closer to 10%.

You fail to mention Cigarettes , Nicotine addiction kills millions per annum.

Your rite I failed to mention it.

Now that you bring it up I will have to raise the percentage of addicts to 20%

[hellodolly]

i would submit that an addict is someone who uses a chemical adulterant (this would include alcohol or cigs) to the point where it has significant (ah yes, the wiggle room) negative impact on their life (could be personal, social, financial, emotional, all of the above) and continues to do so in spite of the continuing negative consequences.

of course, there are a lot of qualifiers in this statement that one can argue about, but you get the gist of the matter.

As for drug laws/rate/reports in other countries, that is all well and good, they are not thailand.

I wrote my master's thesis on an analysis of the dutch approach to drug addiction/treatment and i concluded that for a number of very good reasons, the (apparently) successful dutch model could not work in USA.... so again, culture and custom come into play when dealing with the local issues.

what we can see worldwide, is that decriminalization (not legalization) leads to lower criminal rates (duh), less use of govt jails (freeing up valuable dollars for "treatment" and other socially beneficial programs not even related to substance abuse), better socialization of addicts, better housing rates, better health outcomes, etc...

Personally, i see drug addiction as a public health problem, not strictly a medical one.... for many years i worked creating better alternatives for mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people (in Berkeley, CA no less...).... thailand definitely has a long way to go and i wonder how they will get there...

Good for a laugh. According to you I would be a addict in the states because of the amount of money I spent on cigarets. A considerable sum of money that left me with out resources for day to day living in that society. Here in Thailand where the cost is so much lower I would not be a addict as the cost is negligible to me.

You are rite about.decriminalization. I believe that Portugal has done that to a large part and has considerable success with it. Even to the point of people using less than when it was illegal. I read a report once that said heron addiction was three parts one part the heron one part the needle and one part the life style.

Not that I agree but room for thought. I knew people who wuld shoot up whiskey.

[hellodolly]

2% of the Thai population are drug addicts. speaks volumes

This is tiny compared to the number of addicts in the USA.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of habitual marijuana use in the world, doesnt seem to affect our society too much. I believe that drugs are a medical problem not a legal one and should all be treated like alcohol and caffeine and nicotine.

And is habitual marijuana use legal in Australia and New Zealand then? Have you taken a look at your society - preferably without the marijuana?

Give Australia a break. They only figured out they were founded by English criminals about 20 years ago.

[hellodolly]

Canada said:

Hi...I am not sure who you are but I don't think that promoting our upcoming Convention in this forum is appropriate.

NA in Thailand is full of narcissistic backstabbing bitches who do nothing towards our 5th tradition in this country....it's like we'll just delete tradition 5....

Having people come to check us out at this time in our development would be a huge embarrassment to us. We do barely anything to help ourselves and absolutely nothing to help Thai society.

Response from Balls,

The topic page of this forum is: NARCOTICS WAR

1.2 million Thais are addicted to drugs

THE NATION

And you are trying to tell me that this is not the ‘proper’ forum to mention the 5th Thailand Regional Convention, themed "MIRACLES HAPPEN" taking place in Pattaya, 17th to 19th February 2012?

I've been to a couple of these conventions back in the states (Detroit and Grand Rapids, MI., Phoenix, AZ) -they are great fun and give hope to all. What are you afraid of?

First off, let me say that it has been at least 18 years from my last NA or AA meeting. I do not agree with their ‘god oriented’ 12 twelve steps and traditions which you seem to be quite familiar with. That is not to say that these are not good programs for many, many people. Arguably, they are not the best programs, but hundreds of thousands of reformed addicts will disagree with me.

However, I will repeat myself, saying that the help and continuing support I receive from my old mates has kept me from shooting up or snorting everything from heroin, cocaine, LSD, black beauties Quaaludes, 100 proof rum or any dangerous drug. Anything I could get my hands on. NA saved my life!

And you “don't think that promoting our upcoming Convention in this forum is appropriate”?

And why did you not post your opinion on the forum itself? A bit shy are you? I’ll try to be civil about this but… you are out of your bloody mind!

AA and Na are already here in Thailand already. Does the “ the 5th Thailand Regional Convention” mean anything to you?

In fact, you sound as if you might be familiar with NA already! As you said (so anonymously), “NA in Thailand is full of narcissistic backstabbing bitches who do nothing…and “our upcoming Convention”.

I kind of wonder if these ‘bitches’ are Thai or Falang but it is up to YOU to get off of your duff and do something about it. Call them out by quoting your 12 and 12 or whatever but get your facts straight first! (See Post #6)

I agree with these forums post #6 that calls your bluff. In your post #7 you contradict yourself. Post #30 mentions NARCONON (?) but I believe he meant NARANON. This is for the family and friends who want to support their addicted loved one. Also read post #41.

You said “Thailand has many rehabs available for underfunded people. What they lack is the support after that. I say that this is what NA and AA are all about!

There is only one "throwing up and praying" model program. Wat Thamgrabok. Yes, I’ve read the book and am happy for the bloke who wrote it but still – aftermath support is tantamount!

IMHO, the 5th Thailand Regional (NA) Convention in Pattaya should be advertised and supported by all of the government officials who claim they want to “help” the problem in Thailand.

If you or your NA has a problem that you are not happy with - Take responsibility!

"Canada said:

Hi...I am not sure who you are but I don't think that promoting our upcoming Convention in this forum is appropriate.

NA in Thailand is full of narcissistic backstabbing bitches who do nothing towards our 5th tradition in this country....it's like we'll just delete tradition 5....

Having people come to check us out at this time in our development would be a huge embarrassment to us. We do barely anything to help ourselves and absolutely nothing to help Thai society."

Sounds like some one on the out side looking in.

I suppose there is some thing to it. I know of two people who used to go to it and no longer go. When pressed for why they point there finger at what others were doing or not doing that did not meet with their approval. As far as I can see they still seem to be happy drug free people today.

[zippydedodah]

i would submit that an addict is someone who uses a chemical adulterant (this would include alcohol or cigs) to the point where it has significant (ah yes, the wiggle room) negative impact on their life (could be personal, social, financial, emotional, all of the above) and continues to do so in spite of the continuing negative consequences.

of course, there are a lot of qualifiers in this statement that one can argue about, but you get the gist of the matter.

As for drug laws/rate/reports in other countries, that is all well and good, they are not thailand.

I wrote my master's thesis on an analysis of the dutch approach to drug addiction/treatment and i concluded that for a number of very good reasons, the (apparently) successful dutch model could not work in USA.... so again, culture and custom come into play when dealing with the local issues.

what we can see worldwide, is that decriminalization (not legalization) leads to lower criminal rates (duh), less use of govt jails (freeing up valuable dollars for "treatment" and other socially beneficial programs not even related to substance abuse), better socialization of addicts, better housing rates, better health outcomes, etc...

Personally, i see drug addiction as a public health problem, not strictly a medical one.... for many years i worked creating better alternatives for mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people (in Berkeley, CA no less...).... thailand definitely has a long way to go and i wonder how they will get there...

Good for a laugh. According to you I would be a addict in the states because of the amount of money I spent on cigarets. A considerable sum of money that left me with out resources for day to day living in that society. Here in Thailand where the cost is so much lower I would not be a addict as the cost is negligible to me.

You are rite about.decriminalization. I believe that Portugal has done that to a large part and has considerable success with it. Even to the point of people using less than when it was illegal. I read a report once that said heron addiction was three parts one part the heron one part the needle and one part the life style.

Not that I agree but room for thought. I knew people who wuld shoot up whiskey.

you are right... place and circumstance indeed affect who is labeled an addict... i would say that if your smoking in USA/Europe affected your financials and your health to the point where it was a constant negative, then yes, you are an addict over THERE, but not an addict here... weird the way that works, huh?

same for my thai MIL... here she joyfully chews beetle nut all day, at no great financial cost, no personal risk and no social disruption... if she tried to do that in USA, she would be declared an addict .....

working in berkeley i often dealt with situations related to circumstance and culture... for instance, the frat boys who drink it up and get busted, perhaps a DUI even, but no injuries, just too much to drink. Do they deserve to be labeled "alcoholic" and placed in a program... ??? a year after university, how many of them are still binge drinking and causing trouble? and yet if they acquire the social stigma of being labeled an alcoholic, it can do great harm to their future...

Portugal, Spain, England, Australia, Switzerland all enjoy the benefits of extensive decriminalization of drugs... i don't know if in my lifetime i will ever see it here in Thailand, but perhaps we will see more western nations moving in that direction...

I once read an article where the thesis was that the "war on drugs" was similar to the war in vietnam, in terms of social dynamics... took a long time to get the USA out of Vietnam ... and will take many more years to get the US out of retribution and revenge (on drug addicts) and into rehabilitation and recovery.

[RogueLeader]

I read a report once that said heron addiction was three parts one part the heron one part the needle and one part the life style.

Heron addiction is a dreadful thing. Hard to swallow. So many people try to give up without proper preparation, wing it then chicken out, raven mad with the pain.

[waza]

i would submit that an addict is someone who uses a chemical adulterant (this would include alcohol or cigs) to the point where it has significant (ah yes, the wiggle room) negative impact on their life (could be personal, social, financial, emotional, all of the above) and continues to do so in spite of the continuing negative consequences.

of course, there are a lot of qualifiers in this statement that one can argue about, but you get the gist of the matter.

As for drug laws/rate/reports in other countries, that is all well and good, they are not thailand.

I wrote my master's thesis on an analysis of the dutch approach to drug addiction/treatment and i concluded that for a number of very good reasons, the (apparently) successful dutch model could not work in USA.... so again, culture and custom come into play when dealing with the local issues.

what we can see worldwide, is that decriminalization (not legalization) leads to lower criminal rates (duh), less use of govt jails (freeing up valuable dollars for "treatment" and other socially beneficial programs not even related to substance abuse), better socialization of addicts, better housing rates, better health outcomes, etc...

Personally, i see drug addiction as a public health problem, not strictly a medical one.... for many years i worked creating better alternatives for mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people (in Berkeley, CA no less...).... thailand definitely has a long way to go and i wonder how they will get there...

Good for a laugh. According to you I would be a addict in the states because of the amount of money I spent on cigarets. A considerable sum of money that left me with out resources for day to day living in that society. Here in Thailand where the cost is so much lower I would not be a addict as the cost is negligible to me.

You are rite about.decriminalization. I believe that Portugal has done that to a large part and has considerable success with it. Even to the point of people using less than when it was illegal. I read a report once that said heron addiction was three parts one part the heron one part the needle and one part the life style.

Not that I agree but room for thought. I knew people who wuld shoot up whiskey.

you are right... place and circumstance indeed affect who is labeled an addict... i would say that if your smoking in USA/Europe affected your financials and your health to the point where it was a constant negative, then yes, you are an addict over THERE, but not an addict here... weird the way that works, huh?

same for my thai MIL... here she joyfully chews beetle nut all day, at no great financial cost, no personal risk and no social disruption... if she tried to do that in USA, she would be declared an addict .....

working in berkeley i often dealt with situations related to circumstance and culture... for instance, the frat boys who drink it up and get busted, perhaps a DUI even, but no injuries, just too much to drink. Do they deserve to be labeled "alcoholic" and placed in a program... ??? a year after university, how many of them are still binge drinking and causing trouble? and yet if they acquire the social stigma of being labeled an alcoholic, it can do great harm to their future...

Portugal, Spain, England, Australia, Switzerland all enjoy the benefits of extensive decriminalization of drugs... i don't know if in my lifetime i will ever see it here in Thailand, but perhaps we will see more western nations moving in that direction...

I once read an article where the thesis was that the "war on drugs" was similar to the war in vietnam, in terms of social dynamics... took a long time to get the USA out of Vietnam ... and will take many more years to get the US out of retribution and revenge (on drug addicts) and into rehabilitation and recovery.

An addict is someone who is controlled by the substance or practice, not if you can afford it or not or if it harms you. For example someone who is addicted to sex, if they use precautions it wont have an effect on their health, except make them fitter. Therefore the measure would be if you could go without, if you can then your in control and its a habit, if you cant then the substance or practice controls you and you are an addict. For example western governments are addicted to the revenue gained from tobacco and alcohol taxes, they know they cause major harm to their citizens and are the biggest cost in health care but they cant give them up. Same as illicit drugs are illegal only if they are not produced by pharmaceutical companies, remeber the legally sell, cocaine, marijuana, speed and opiods.

[axact]

A lot of work has to be done in the anti drug war. Even those who say that they only use occaisionally need treatment of some kind or another before they move from just being 'weak willed' persons to outright addicts.

There's no doubt, anyone stupid and weak enough to dabble in drugs are just climbing aboard the slippery slide to being a full addict !

What absolute rubbish, having reach my middle years & taken various drugs without getting on any slippery slide & know of many other occasional drug users in the same position i can safely say you are talking out of your a-s.

So please prove your ridiculous statement that everyone who has tried drugs is stupid weak and bound to become an addict. Thats like saying anyone who drinks alcohol is going to become an alcoholic

I suspect this sancitmonious poster probably has an excess drink problem and smokes but of course that being legal is fine. The fact that those two vices kill and ruin many peoples lifes than illegal drugs do. Hope you don't mind me making this wild statement but why should you have an exclusive on judging people.

Please, if you know nothing about the subject don't bother posting these sort of statements.

Edited February 2, 2013 by axact

[hellodolly]

A lot of work has to be done in the anti drug war. Even those who say that they only use occaisionally need treatment of some kind or another before they move from just being 'weak willed' persons to outright addicts.

There's no doubt, anyone stupid and weak enough to dabble in drugs are just climbing aboard the slippery slide to being a full addict !

What absolute rubbish, having reach my middle years & taken various drugs without getting on any slippery slide & know of many other occasional drug users in the same position i can safely say you are talking out of your a-s.

So please prove your ridiculous statement that everyone who has tried drugs is stupid weak and bound to become an addict. Thats like saying anyone who drinks alcohol is going to become an alcoholic

I suspect this sancitmonious poster probably has an excess drink problem and smokes but of course that being legal is fine. The fact that those two vices kill and ruin many peoples lifes than illegal drugs do. Hope you don't mind me making this wild statement but why should you have an exclusive on judging people.

Please, if you know nothing about the subject don't bother posting these sort of statements.

Very well put many people go through a stage in life where it would look like to an outsid viewer they are addicts. Make no mistake about it alcohol is a drug. But most of them grow out of it as they mature and will only use socially.

However there is about 10% of the population who for one reason or another continue and come to the point where they do not want to use any more but can't stop. Many of them are far from weak people. The addiction is in control no matter how much they don't want it and fight it.

For these people there are many treatment centers with a varying degree of success. Religion has helped some and there are many anonymous programs to help them on an on going life.

[waza]

2% of the Thai population are drug addicts. speaks volumes

This is tiny compared to the number of addicts in the USA.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of habitual marijuana use in the world, doesnt seem to affect our society too much. I believe that drugs are a medical problem not a legal one and should all be treated like alcohol and caffeine and nicotine.

And is habitual marijuana use legal in Australia and New Zealand then? Have you taken a look at your society - preferably without the marijuana?

Marijuana isnt illegal in South Aus its prohibited, that means you get an on the spot fine if your caught with it. A bit like littering.

[Deserted]

I wonder if we will ever see an article concerning police who sell drugs.

[mrfill]

Isn't there an ongoing study being undertaken to examine the question why there are so may Thais get addicted to amphetamines. IIRC they are looking to see if there is a genetic link to these addictions.

My guess on why so many get addicted to amphetamines is simply that they are what is widely available in Thailand - and cheap too. If they had cheap Ecstasy available as they do in much of the western world, then you can bet there would be lots of people using that...

Oh, the human condition... find a remote tribe that has never had contact with the outside world and you can bet they have some form of drug use too!

Your guess is half right. Availability of yaba is high but cheap? At 200Bt+ per tablet (Bangkok prices), it is not cheap. Cannabis availability outside the tourist areas is very low, partly because it is regarded as very 'low class'.

It is also quite easy to get caught using yaba as the Bangkok police regularly set up 'road blocks' for pedestrians in known areas and perform random urine tests on passing people.

[RogueLeader]

If you can't afford a few beers a day, you look for a cheaper alternative. White spirit maybe or a joint, you need something if there is nothing in your life, It all comes back to economics.

I tend to the notion that stupidity and lack of education are at fault. Surely booze and drugs do nothing to improve anybody's quality of life and anybody with an ounce of common sense recognises this. Addicts are similar to people in a hole, and they keep on digging. More fool them.

A glass of wine or whisky does nothing to improve anyone's quality of life?

Are you sure? 50 million French, Spanish and Italians might disagree.