I don't see how many can jump to so many claims and conclusions - where in the posting besides the added on headline does it say what the headline is claiming. I see "reaffirm a joint intention", "evolve Southeast Asia as a drug-free region", " joint intention to develop ASEAN region as drug-free zone within 2015. No where does it say it will be successful in wiping out drugs or be totally drug free - and it is a goal set by 10 nations not just this government. This is no different then saying they want to win the football title by 2015 and plan on working together.

Asean - The hub of clean toilets.

No syringes to be found in toilets in Asean countries. No George Michael's, no bad ASEAN members of this community, and certainly NO DRUGS!

Get the ball rolling - I can't wait for the scruples of the reports of numbers of declined, or rehabilitated previous drug users, in ASEAN countries in 2015/2016 fiscal year.

What was it Queen Victoria was purported to say? "I am not amused!"

-mel.

I can't figure out if this is a white lie, a true lie or just an ordinary lie. Maybe they are just blowing hot air ?

Anyone ?

In other words:

No more tea, coffee, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, etc. either.

Technically, that is what this news article is saying, i.e. they intend to eradicate all drugs, as it has not distinguished between illegal drugs and legal drugs. So you should also add all pharmaceutical drugs to that list, including those that are used to treat illness and life-threatening diseases.

The article does mention narcotic drugs in particular (i.e. any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties), many of which are completely legal (but may require a doctor's prescription), such as hydrocodone for relief of intense pain. Wikipedia says:

As a narcotic, hydrocodone relieves pain by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord.

Criminalizing production, sales and usage of all narcotics may leave those people who experience intense pain without any pain relief, or turn them into criminals if they take the pain releif drugs that they were clever enough to have stocked up on before narcotics criminalization.

Whoever decided to use the term "narcotics" to refer to something other than "any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties" is an absolute idiot, and is clear evidence of the profound ignorance of those who write the policies and laws related to drugs that affect us all.

Assuming that they mean illegal drugs, one simple way that they can completely succeed in becoming 100% free of illegal drugs is by legalizing all illegal drugs. The result would be their stated goal: no illegal drugs.

legalizing all illegal drugs

Legalization could take a step-by-step process, starting from the least harmful illegal drugs, many of which are much less harmful than fully legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco. Results of scientific studies should be used to determine the order of legalization from least harmful to most harmful drug. For example:

Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis:

Quantifying the RR of harm to self and others from substance misuse: results from a survey of clinical experts across Scotland:

An off-topic post has been deleted. This thread is about Asean, it is not about Thaksin.

Sorry, the title of the thread is so depressing I can't bear to read even three pages worth. Regarding the thread title, when are these buffoons ever going to realize that if you continue to set goals that even a 10 year old knows are impossible to achieve you are consistently destined for failure. Can anyone teach these people about SMART objectives?

They can't even stop drugs from entering a prison (a secure building) how can you stop them entering a country?

Ten ASEAN member countries will reaffirm a joint intention to evolve Southeast Asia as a drug-free region in 2015

Thailand has a definite head-start on their ASEAN neighbors.

Next month, Thailand will be 80% drug-free. Just some mopping up to get the remaining 20% over the remaining 3 years.

Yingluck Pledges To Eradicate 80% Of Drugs Within One Year

http://www.thaivisa....ithin-one-year/

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But now we know, it's all just white lies to make everyone feel good

Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, Secretary-General of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, said that ministers on narcotics from 10 ASEAN countries and the ASEAN secretary general will meet in Bangkok on Aug 31

In addition to his moon-lighting job as the Secretary-General of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, it's worth noting that Police General Adul's daytime employment is as the National Police Chief who just got the hand-off for the position from Thaksin's brother-in-law.

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what are they on?

Drug-free ASEAN in 3 years affirmed

BANGKOK, Aug 28 - Ten ASEAN member countries will reaffirm a joint intention to evolve Southeast Asia as a drug-free region in 2015—the year the ASEAN Economic Community is officially launched.

Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, secretary general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, said that ministers on narcotics from 10 ASEAN countries and the ASEAN secretary general will meet in Bangkok on Aug 31 to exchange views and information on narcotics suppression, narcotics-related laws and extradition of narcotics criminals.

The upcoming meeting, he said, was also aimed at strengthening the relationships of member countries, given an earlier-declared joint intention to develop ASEAN region as drug-free zone within 2015.

International drug trafficking networks have increasingly intertwined especially along Thailand’s borders with Myanmar and Laos which have been plagued with an increasing number of narcotics production factories, he said.

Pol Gen Adul reported an improved drug situation in Thailand in the last 10 months when more than 65,000 suspects had been arrested on drug charges and more than 400,000 drug addicts have undergone medical treatments.

However, the Narcotics Control Board has kept a closer watch on various communities after receiving complaints from more than 4,000 communities about rampant drug trafficking. (MCOT online news)

Need I say more

Legalize it and tax it. Let people make their own life choices.

....and ensure cleaner products, and eliminate pushers, have counselors deal with abusers. Decriminalization of ALL drugs makes sense in a hundreds ways, but our sage lawmakers want only ONE legal recreational drug. It's their favored one, and the one they're getting paid (by its makers/dealers) to keep legal. You get ONE guess on which drug that is. Hint: it's Chalerm's drug of choice, though he calls it his 'inner-ear medicine'.

Not the complete true...There are several politicians in several countries in the big drug dealing and they want to keep the prices high.

If they are legal the profit is going down.

Yes, very sad and very true!!!

"Drug free Asean?" Maybe it was a typo & they meant "Duty free"

Here we go again. More false promises to win votes. Are the general public really so gullible?

Judging by the result of the last general election and the performance of its winning party I'd say YES

Call 191, i just split me head open when i fell off my chair laughing.

3 years seems a bit over optimistic to me I think nearer the 1000000 year mark and I might consider that is a reasonably hopeful estimate

what are they on?

Chalerm's famous ear medication.

At least they are doing something about the situation. Much better than sitting at your keyboards making pointless comments.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing something about drugs. The problem here is that a suggestion that they will ever be able to make ASEAN drug free let alone in 3 years just gives the impression that this is just a statement for people who will believe any nonsense. It would be good to make any area or the entire world free from murder, road deaths terrorism, alcohol abuse, poverty, sex abuse, corruption or any number of other negative things but it isn't possible and anyone who claims it is stupid, lying or possibly on drugs themselves.

It's possible that there's been a translation error here from whatever language the statement was released in. If not then it lacks any credibility whatsoever.

In fact it's a "pointless comment".

Here we go again. More false promises to win votes. Are the general public really so gullible?

Yep

Same old same old..................more B S do they think we are ALL mushrooms..........

5555...was in PEA office paying our bill the other week and this sus looking character with pinpoint pupils came out from the back office and did a closed hand transfer of a little packet of something to another employee..both individuals looking around guiltily.

....naaa.... probably had an ear infection...

Never has worked! Never will work! Never Going to work! But this world wide drug war is a job creator for law enforcement.

Drugs are bad mkay.

How can they make Asean drug free when they not even are able to keep a limmit space like a prisson free!! That just show how stupid the pepople saying those kind of tings is!!! They do not have any sense of what going on arround them and the public pay tax to this kind of pepople!!!!!

In addition to his moon-lighting job as the Secretary-General of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, it's worth noting that Police General Adul's daytime employment is as the National Police Chief

That just show how stupid the people saying those kind of things is!!!

I don't disagree, but I'd go easy.

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