Thaksin To Revitalise War On Drugs

[ando]

We shouldn't forget that Asia in general has had an opium culture for centuries. Smoked in low doses it was more of a medicinal aid in tolerating a very hard and difficult life back a couple of generations. The old weak strains of Gunja and also Beetle Nut were used the same way without any great social consequences. Then along comes Heroin and now Yabba. Heroin was bad enough, but Yabba, or Meth Amphetamines, is a social evil that has the potential to destroy urban society if left unchallenged. Yabba is addictive. Yabba produces psychotic, often violent behavior in heavy users. Rehab prgrammes don't have a high success rate for Yabba users. It is far more dangerous to the individual and to society in general than other so called recreational drugs. Tolerance is certainly not the answer concerning Yabba.

[Scott]

I have no particular fondness for Yabba (or its users), but when they have these crackdowns, it gets scary. Had some "supposed" drug dealer shot not far from my house. I just don't like that many bullets flying around where I live (which isn't noted for being a drug area, by the way).

[ColPyat]

Yabba produces psychotic, often violent behavior in heavy users. Rehab prgrammes don't have a high success rate for Yabba users. It is far more dangerous to the individual and to society in general than other so called recreational drugs. Tolerance is certainly not the answer concerning Yabba.

Nops, Yaa Maa needs a different approach then the more traditional drugs, agreed.

It is ironic though that Ganja appears to be one of the best substances to support Yaa Maa withdrawal, as it helps with keeping the seratonin level up until the brain of the addict can produce it's own seratonin again in sufficient doses.

[ColPyat]

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Well, thanks, we are there in agreement there.

[sriracha john]

Nothing about drugs.

Colpyat, TN and BP might not cover lots of stories or aspect of Thai life, but they regulary post opinion poll results.

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Yes, despite the lack of evidence that the drug issue is of any real priority for the public at large..

Thaksin pursues Drug War V...

but then again, it makes sense... it's easier to shoot real humans than the elusive Esso Tiger...

[penzman]

We shouldn't forget that Asia in general has had an opium culture for centuries. Smoked in low doses it was more of a medicinal aid in tolerating a very hard and difficult life back a couple of generations. The old weak strains of Gunja and also Beetle Nut were used the same way without any great social consequences. Then along comes Heroin and now Yabba. Heroin was bad enough, but Yabba, or Meth Amphetamines, is a social evil that has the potential to destroy urban society if left unchallenged. Yabba is addictive. Yabba produces psychotic, often violent behavior in heavy users. Rehab prgrammes don't have a high success rate for Yabba users. It is far more dangerous to the individual and to society in general than other so called recreational drugs. Tolerance is certainly not the answer concerning Yabba.

Maybe more tolerance towards the recreational/"traditional" drugs would help. After all, long ago, when the latter drugs were tolerated, there was no ya ba problem, actually there was no ya ba at all... Eliminate all drugs and then you'll see a rise in problems with alcohool, back to square one.

[ando]

Trouble is that you can never UNknow something you know. The Pandora's Box has been opened. Not just in Thailand, but around the world. Amphetamines are cheap and easy to produce, high value and in demand. Also extremely socially destructive. The only solution is to treat it differently from other so called recreational drugs with very heavy policing and very heavy penalties in line with the the threat to society it represents. There are no easy answers here. Personally, I think a heavy hand is the only way to deal with it. Or at least contain it.

[ilyushin]

Nothing about drugs.

Colpyat, TN and BP might not cover lots of stories or aspect of Thai life, but they regulary post opinion poll results.

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Yes, despite the lack of evidence that the drug issue is of any real priority for the public at large..

Thaksin pursues Drug War V...

but then again, it makes sense... it's easier to shoot real humans than the elusive Esso Tiger...

Great post.

[ando]

:-)

[English Noodles]

This is an interesting website for those that have never seen it.

http://thaidrugaddict.com/index.html

[stumonster]

interesting site noodles.

I think this is telling

Inept anti-drug media campaigns

Many public relations and advertising campaigns have been borrowed from the US, translated into Thai with little or no attempt to adjust them to the Thai context, and then launched with high-budget media blitzes....

more

and this has just appeared in an australian news site

Drug strategy too moral: researcher

By Katherine Danks

May 23, 2006

THE Federal Government's drug education strategy for schools was too moral and risks being irrelevant to young people experimenting with alcohol and illicit substances, a leading researcher said.

Associate Professor Richard Midford, with the National Drug Research Institute in Perth, said the national school drug education strategy does not have a practical understanding of drug use or young people.

In a keynote address to be delivered in Sydney tomorrow at the International Conference on Drugs and Young People, Prof Midford will argue that the national drug strategy needs reform.

"They really are very much taking the moral stance and saying it's a bad thing to do, and that we should be giving a clear `just say no' message," Prof Midford said.

"That's a nice slogan to have, and I don't think anyone would disagree with it, but drug education has to be so much more than just simply not having drugs in schools.

"They (young people) can see (drugs) as glamorous and risky and exciting and they've got to really have the skills to be able to deal with those sort of issues."

"If you do a shock horror scare tactic on (the students) and they've got different information from their own experiences that it's not that bad, they're just going to ignore you. It's going to be irrelevant."

Full article here

[tettyan]

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Well, thanks, we are there in agreement there.

He may have a loose tongue, an abrasive manner and an obnoxious personality, but stupid our beloved PM is not!

Edited May 23, 2006 by tettyan

[sriracha john]

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Well, thanks, we are there in agreement there.

He may have a loose tongue, an abrasive manner, a square head, a repugnant son, a trainload of money, an evil heart, abysmal English language skills, a murderous streak, a reprehensible code of ethics, a complete lack of conscientiousness, a tendency towards bestiality, and an obnoxious personality, but stupid our beloved PM is not!

**post enhanced to increase accuracy**

[jdinasia]

Trouble is that you can never UNknow something you know. The Pandora's Box has been opened. Not just in Thailand, but around the world. Amphetamines are cheap and easy to produce, high value and in demand. Also extremely socially destructive. The only solution is to treat it differently from other so called recreational drugs with very heavy policing and very heavy penalties in line with the the threat to society it represents. There are no easy answers here. Personally, I think a heavy hand is the only way to deal with it. Or at least contain it.

I'm sorry Ando ... are you saying that you approve of the extra-judicial killings of some 2600 people last time?

[Ricardo]

I think Thaksin knew what he was doing when he declared yet another war on drugs as TRT heavily relies on its in-house opinion polls. He probably got the list of things people want the government to do and chose drugs over fuel prices or inflation.

Well, thanks, we are there in agreement there.

He may have a loose tongue, an abrasive manner, a square head, a repugnant son, a trainload of money, an evil heart, abysmal English language skills, a murderous streak, a reprehensible code of ethics, a complete lack of conscientiousness, a tendency towards bestiality, and an obnoxious personality, but stupid our beloved PM is not!

**post enhanced to increase accuracy**

But at least he is now unemployed - if you can take him at his word - Oops !

[sriracha john]

yes, lest we forget...

feel free to add "a dishonest core beyond a fathomable level, a belief system that includes thinking it's alright to be a billionaire-yet-still-be-an-unemployed-dole-living sponge," to the descriptive list above.

[jdinasia]

Now be nice SRJ ... according to some ... he's worth keeping ....

[sriracha john]

A thread rivaling "The Last Word" 's posting longevity and diversity could be started on:

"The Last Phrase" (an adjective-laden tirade description of Thaksin)

[tettyan]

A translated editorial from Thailand's best-selling newspaper, courtesy of the BKK Post

The problem of rising drug consumption

Thai Rath Editorial - It is right for Thaksin Shinawatra to return to work fulltime at Government House after a two-month hiatus. His return follows news reports about the spread of narcotic drugs.

Of particular concern is the spread of methamphetamines, or yaa baa.

A recent Abac poll by Assumption University said the number of young drug addicts in Bangkok and the three adjoining provinces of Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Pathom has gone up by more than 700% in the past three years. Young respondents quoted by the Abac poll attributed the problem to laxity on the part of law enforcement officials and influential people who engage in the drug trade. They said the penalties against drug trafficking should be harsher.

Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit admitted that methamphetamine consumption has increased, but denied the government's drug suppression had slackened. As a former head of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Mr Chidchai is well-equipped to deal with the problem.

Some people have claimed that Mr Thaksin's absence from work has led to drug dealers becoming more active. This claim is unfounded. According to ONCB officials, methamphetamine consumption began to rise about a year ago in Bangkok and the three adjoining provinces. No significant increases were detected in other provinces.

It is impossible to eradicate narcotic drugs from the country. Three years ago, the Thaksin government declared victory in its war on drugs, which resulted in the death of nearly 3,000 alleged drug dealers.

Mr Chidchai said the tough war on drugs had caused drug dealers to lie low. Villagers said methamphetamine dealers have remained active, and in fact were gaining more income because a tablet of yaa baa now costs 250 baht, compared with less than 100 baht a few years ago. We wonder whether low-ranking police officers are profiting from it as well.

-Bangkok Post, May 25, 2006