'Yaba'-heroin mix a new threat, police warn
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- A drug bust in Chiang Mai on March 17 that saw police seize 400,000 'yaba' pills exposed a new formula of yaba mixed with heroin, Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) secretary-general Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen said yesterday. The drug carried a logo of a lion on a globe.

The narcotic - the first of its kind discovered by the ONCB in 37 years - was suspected to be a new product of a Lahu tribal factory on the Myanmar side, in order to make the yaba more addictive, he said.

If an addict took one yaba pill, worth Bt120, per day, this new product would make the addict want to take 2-3 pills per day, he said - boosting the dealer's income accordingly.

Warning that heroin in Thailand and neighbouring countries contained pure heroin of 80-90 per cent - compared to other countries' rate of only 20-30 per cent, Pongsapat said this drug batch could be fatal.

ONCB would contact Laos and Myanmar to help locate and crackdown on the factory, he said. Although police had intercepted this batch of drugs from smugglers, some of it might have spread already to communities. Pongsapat said anyone spotting narcotics with a logo of a lion on a globe should alert the ONCB hotline 1386.


-- The Nation 2014-03-20

Hardly a first because it is wildly speculated that ganja has been laced with heroin for years.

Or maybe that is just a myth?

"Ecstasy" drug in the UK in the 1990's was also laced with heroin sometimes. The phenomenon became known as "smacky pills" among users, and was short-lived because club-goers wanted to dance and not to lay slumped in a corner. But at the time the theory was the same as the OP, heroin was added to make the user return to the same dealer after becoming hooked. This backfired and dealers were forced to change back to normal ingredients - which were often dangerous in themselves. At the time I was volunteered into the drug counselling and basic medical service provided by some of these nightclubs/festivals, and I saw some very confused and upset people who were playing this tablet-roulette, popping pills that could contain literally anything. If you value your future life, you should never take any product that you don't know the ingredients of.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

...

in order to make the yaba more addictive, he said.

...

this drug batch could be fatal.

Like Yaba isn't addictive and deadly enough on its own? I don't think a little heroin will make it much worse...

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Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

Lots of ODs from "speedballs," John Belushi for one. Combination of cocaine and heroin, up and down - called speedball, very popular in Thailand and around the world.

The Thai press is clearly attempting to deflect attention away from Thailand's massive and historical drug trafficking with comments like "on the Myanmar side." Everyone knows that Thailand is the hub of trafficking and drug distribution with product brought down from the north of Thailand. If you can't get in, you can't get it to Bangkok. The Thai press is not helping its country's effort to stem the drug trade by deflecting its findings to Myanmar and Laos. Not facing the drug trade problem in Thailand is remaining in denial.

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

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Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

Lots of ODs from "speedballs," John Belushi for one. Combination of cocaine and heroin, up and down - called speedball, very popular in Thailand and around the world.

I guess the heroin is supposed to take the edge off.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

As someone else said, that is a called a speedball and very popular. The heroin adds to the euphoria and makes the crash from the speed a lot less noticeable. The problem is that heroin is physically addictive - Ya-Ba is not - so if someone keeps doing this, they will get addicted eventually.

I doubt if there is enough heroin in these pills to be "fatal" as this article claims and taking heroin orally - in a pill - is not very efficient anyway. The speed would be a lot stronger of the two when taken this way.

"Ecstasy" drug in the UK in the 1990's was also laced with heroin sometimes. The phenomenon became known as "smacky pills" among users, and was short-lived because club-goers wanted to dance and not to lay slumped in a corner. But at the time the theory was the same as the OP, heroin was added to make the user return to the same dealer after becoming hooked. This backfired and dealers were forced to change back to normal ingredients - which were often dangerous in themselves. At the time I was volunteered into the drug counselling and basic medical service provided by some of these nightclubs/festivals, and I saw some very confused and upset people who were playing this tablet-roulette, popping pills that could contain literally anything. If you value your future life, you should never take any product that you don't know the ingredients of.

The main culprits were called speckled doves a derivative from the usual white dove e's, named because they had speckles of brown in them, not just limited to them 2 colours though.

Anyone with any sense who took or still takes E's buys a testing kit and tests before purchase.

Many athletes OD from these dangerous mixtures. The athlete has such good oxygen retention and lung capacity that the first time is sometimes deadly.

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

You guys had someone who declared an all-out war on Drug lords, and suppliers, but you chased him out the country and condemned him for the killings. So live with it.

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

The war on drugs has been a complete failure. Better to make it legal, so people know exactly what they are getting and it becomes cheap enough that they don't have to commit crimes to get their supply. Methadone is already legal for addicts, but it is much more addictive and dangerous than heroin. That makes no sense at all.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

"The problem is that heroin is physically addictive - Ya-Ba is not"

My God. Are you serious??? Ya-Ba is not addictive? I think you have been smoking too much yourself..

Absolutely unbelievable comment!

Read what I said. Ya-Ba is not physically addictive. It is only addictive in the sense that people like it and want to do more. A heroin addict goes through withdrawal symptoms and becomes very ill if they stop taking it. A speed freak does not.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

"The problem is that heroin is physically addictive - Ya-Ba is not"

My God. Are you serious??? Ya-Ba is not addictive? I think you have been smoking too much yourself..

Absolutely unbelievable comment!

I have no idea how UG came to that conclusion. Ya-Ba is a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine and is seriously addictive. http://alcoholrehab.com/alcohol-rehab/yaba-yaa-baa-shabu-addiction/ and http://www.thecabinchiangmai.com/yaba_addiction and many more sites including medical ones that differ with his opinion.

//edit - methamphetamine is physically addictive as it effects the brain chemistry over time. Look up methamphetamine withdrawal.

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Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

Lots of ODs from "speedballs," John Belushi for one. Combination of cocaine and heroin, up and down - called speedball, very popular in Thailand and around the world.

I guess the heroin is supposed to take the edge off.

Maybe like a time release - prolongs the action of each component.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

"The problem is that heroin is physically addictive - Ya-Ba is not"

My God. Are you serious??? Ya-Ba is not addictive? I think you have been smoking too much yourself..

Absolutely unbelievable comment!

I have no idea how UG came to that conclusion.

I am using the definition of addictive that was in vogue when I was younger: Physical dependence. Nowadays, they call taking any kind of drug often "addiction". The same people that say speed is addictive say that marijuana is addictive, which I reject. You can make a case for both, but to me, wanting to take something because you enjoy it is not physical addiction.

If you look at this website for recovering addicts, they admit that speed is not physically addictive. However, they call fatigue, hunger and restlessness "physical withdrawal symptoms", but they are a result of not eating or sleeping. They go away when you eat and sleep. Opiate withdrawal does not go away until you take more heroin or get the drug completely out of your system.

The physical withdrawal symptoms a person experiences while quitting meth are not as severe as for people quitting other types of drugs, because meth is not physically addictive. That’s not to say, however, that quitting meth is any less difficult. Meth users can go through a variety of physical withdrawal symptoms, most common of which are fatigue, hunger, sleep cycle disruptions, restlessness, and cravings. http://northbayrecoverycenter.com/addiction-topics/2012/09/psychological-withdrawal-quitting-meth

Fully aware what a speedball is but usually only shot up not taken as a pill or chased. Usually drug users/addicts prefer either going up or down, there are some duel habit users but they are a minority. A bag of H may sometimes be used to take the edge off of a rock session but as a rule you usually devote your life to 1 or the other.

Like I said originally, unlikely to catch on.

Read what I said. Ya-Ba is not physically addictive. It is only addictive in the sense that people like it and want to do more. A heroin addict goes through withdrawal symptoms and becomes very ill if they stop taking it. A speed freak does not.

Are you real or are you really fried;;;;I don't mean to offend but W<T<F< is wrong with you ?

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

You guys had someone who declared an all-out war on Drug lords, and suppliers, but you chased him out the country and condemned him for the killings. So live with it.

The supply chain is still in place and exists with full cooperation from some members of the Royal Thai Police Force.

I thought nicotine was also added to yaba to make it more addictive.

Can't find any reference to this online so may have been told this verbally - so might be wrong.

Can't see how that will work out, yabba is an upper and heroin a downer. Can't see people queuing up to stay the same as before they took it, only with a horrendous comedown.

As someone else said, that is a called a speedball and very popular. The heroin adds to the euphoria and makes the crash from the speed a lot less noticeable. The problem is that heroin is physically addictive - Ya-Ba is not - so if someone keeps doing this, they will get addicted eventually.

I doubt if there is enough heroin in these pills to be "fatal" as this article claims and taking heroin orally - in a pill - is not very efficient anyway. The speed would be a lot stronger of the two when taken this way.

So you say that yaba, speed, meth, are not physically addictive? You ever done it or are you just going on about things you don't know anything about. When I finally got off meth it took about three months to come down. I sure thought it was physically addictive every time I ran out. But what would I know, right. Coming from a guy who started using meth in the 70's and finally quit in the late 90's. I would have to disagree with your statement.

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

You guys had someone who declared an all-out war on Drug lords, and suppliers, but you chased him out the country and condemned him for the killings. So live with it.

What are you talking about ? "You guys". lol

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

The war on drugs has been a complete failure. Better to make it legal, so people know exactly what they are getting and it becomes cheap enough that they don't have to commit crimes to get their supply. Methadone is already legal for addicts, but it is much more addictive and dangerous than heroin. That makes no sense at all.

I was more talking about dealing with the problem were it exists. Which is outside Thailand, mainly in north eastern Myanmar. Maybe conducting operations similar to those of the US in central America. In concert with "foreign "counter-narcotics organisations of course.

Read what I said. Ya-Ba is not physically addictive. It is only addictive in the sense that people like it and want to do more. A heroin addict goes through withdrawal symptoms and becomes very ill if they stop taking it. A speed freak does not.

You are correct sir. Speaking from massive experience, I do not feel that either meth or cocaine is physically addictive. Heroin, alcohol, barbituates, benzodiazepams are very very physically addicting. Cocaine and speed have incredible psychological addictions, which may make the user think they are having physical withdrawals. I have seen many heavy meth users stop using suddenly, the symptoms are:: extreme lethargy/fatigue, sleeping for days, depression, boredom, and a big appetite. I have seen many more heroin users stop using suddenly, the symptoms are: vomiting, diarrhea, severe cramps throughout the body, jerking of the legs (kicking), delirium, screaming and thrashing about violently on the floor in severe cases, etc, etc. There is a big difference between physical and psychological addiction.

In the early 80's I worked in the West Australian Alcohol and Drug Authority. In those days almost all the addicts were on heroin. Ice at that stage was quite rare in W.A. Treatment for heroin addicts was to inject them with narcaine to 'bring them down' and then orally dose them with methadone to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms. I have seen many heroin addicts 'hanging out' many had the 'shakes' and appeared very uncomfortable (as though they had a very bad dose of the flu) but I never saw symptoms as bad as some previously described. The idea was to gradually decrease the methadone dose until the patient was 'weaned off' the drug. It rarely worked.

In the case of ice addicts the treatment was very different. Patients were put into intensive care in hospital. The withdrawal symptoms were far worse. Patients were liable to self harm or go into convulsions. Basically they were put to sleep until the effects of the drug were out of their system.

Of course that was 35 years ago and I suppose treatments are probably quite different today. In addition there are far more drugs, many of them designer, available today.

These people need to be cleaned out like rabbits in a warren. Arrested or eradicated, then there place of work/ residence destroyed. Their choice of employment kills thousand every year and destroys live, not only those of the user, but that of the families of the user as well.

You guys had someone who declared an all-out war on Drug lords, and suppliers, but you chased him out the country and condemned him for the killings. So live with it.

Funny though, mostly very low level dealers, users and even people not connected to drugs at all were the victims of this extra judicial killing frenzy. No drug lords or suppliers were really that badly hurt.

There seems to be a large amount of misinformation about what's addictive and what isn't on this post. Yabba and Heroin are both very addictive. - as others said you can Google it to read the extensive research on the subject. But the point of the original article is to alert the community to the attempts by dealers to come up with a drug combination that makes you addicted VERY quickly, as this one does. These are probably the same people who can now produce chocolate and strawberry flavoured yabba pills for kids !