Soaring prison population prompts Thailand to re-think 'lost' drug war

[webfact]

Soaring prison population prompts Thailand to re-think 'lost' drug war
BY AMY SAWITTA LEFEVRE

BANGKOK: -- Somsak Sreesomsong was 18 when he was jailed for selling illegal drugs. Now, turning 30, he is not yet half way through his 33-year sentence at Bangkok's high-security Klong Prem prison.

Somsak was "just a kid, not a big-time dealer", his older brother Panit told Reuters after a visit to the jail. "We're also serving time, waiting for him to get out so he can help the family."

More than a decade after Thailand declared a "war on drugs", the country is admitting defeat. As the prison population soars, Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya told Reuters he was looking at changes to the country's draconian drug laws.

"I want to de-classify methamphetamine but Thailand is not ready yet," said Paiboon, meaning downgrading the drug, popularly known as "meth", from a Category 1 substance, which would reduce jail time for possession or dealing.

Full story: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-drugs-thailand-prisons-idUSKCN0ZX01J

-- Reuters 2016-07-18

[shirtless]

Governments are so far behind the times they still believe they can win this war, stupidity at its best.

[maewang99]

is it really soaring that much in only recent years?

Edited July 18, 2016 by maewang99

[impulse]

Of all the drugs to consider legalizing, I'd put meth very low on the list. Its effects on health are devastating.

If allowed to toke on some weed, chew a little kratom (sp?), or even take some NoDoz, maybe meth would lose some of its appeal.

Maybe even some designer drugs in a bottle, based on cocaine or opium, carefully toned down to reduce the effects on health? (Edit: Coca Cola didn't get its name by accident) Then the M150 and Red Bull guys can rake in even more money, too- instead of it going to criminals who would murder you just as soon as look at you...

Edited July 18, 2016 by impulse

[ezzra]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

[anto]

A 33 year sentence for small time drug dealing is farcical .Meth is a nasty substance and should be kept as class A,but the time in Prison needs to be reduced.I.M.O.

[Yooyung]

If they legalised Cannibis and kratom they could make a killing on hippies and hipsters visiting. All the hippies are old and respectable now anyway, cleaned all the dirt out of their toenails. Vegan/veggie/eco friendly resorts could be opened where alcohol is discouraged and people lay around in hammocks listening to Bob Marley while drinking kratom tea and toking on a joint.....All the produce would be grown here....Sounds like a plan to me.

[jaltsc]

" 'I want to de-classify methamphetamine but Thailand is not ready yet,' said Paiboon..."

Won't happen soon. Too much loss of face for those higher ups who would have to admit they were wrong about the drug policy and nearly bankrupting the prison system. Plus, they also would have to admit that the west was more successful with their policy than the Thais were with their archaic thinking. TIT....All bow to SAVING FACE.

Edited July 18, 2016 by jaltsc

[williamgeorgeallen]

the fuzz run the drugs trade and make sure all their competition not paying their dues get locked up. how on earth did they think they were going to stop it? oh yea long jail sentences. nope didnt work, what else can we try? all to difficult lets move to a war on prostitution, surely we can stop that trade in thailand. where should we start, oh yea long jail sentences.

[phycokiller]

I would like to see the evidence that it is so bad. its heavily used by the worlds air forces, they seem happy to supply their members with this drug so their should be some kind of medical evidence available, and also a variation is used by school kids in a pretty big way. strange the way this drug is supposed to be so bad yet governments hand it out for free to a lot of people.

Edited July 18, 2016 by phycokiller

[lovelomsak]

I am I admit against hard drug use. That said I am all for legal marijuana use. I just came back from Canada and now in British Columbia people can buy pot legally if they have a doctor,s note.People are smoking it in public no problem.I feel if people had access to soft drugs there would be little need to do hard drugs.Soft drugs are just that soft drugs.Legalize it,tax it and make it acceptable. The world would make money on tax and save money on courts and jails.Time for the law makers to face reality.

[luk AJ]

I am I admit against hard drug use. That said I am all for legal marijuana use. I just came back from Canada and now in British Columbia people can buy pot legally if they have a doctor,s note.People are smoking it in public no problem.I feel if people had access to soft drugs there would be little need to do hard drugs.Soft drugs are just that soft drugs.Legalize it,tax it and make it acceptable. The world would make money on tax and save money on courts and jails.Time for the law makers to face reality.

So for you ok if a pod head drives around and thinks you are a pokemon?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[harrry]

Personally I think long sentances do not do any good. Four to six years should be enough to provide any rehabilitation and break habits. Any longer is doing nothing.

[Bob12345]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

If you compare drug use, costs of addiction, and number of people in jails you will notice that the countries that fight drugs the hardest ( = America) are having the poorest results while the countries that fight "smarter" (northern Europe) are fairing pretty well. But instead of fighting "smarter" you are suggesting to even intensify the war on drugs?

Better control of the borders: good luck with that. Even North Korea cannot control its borders strictly enough let alone Thailand where most borders are forested areas and the police/military who is guarding the borders are corrupt.

Stern warning to Burma: not sure what you mean there. You suggest Thailand threatens Burma to clean up "or else"? I don't think anybody can take that serious.

Reeducate youngsters: maybe start by educating them first and offer them something to work towards. People do not take drugs "for fun", they do it because they lack opportunities, self-esteem, a future, etc.

Purge all corrupt officials: agree there, this is necessary but should also be done unrelated to drug smuggling and drug use.

[MisterTee]

Of all the drugs to consider legalizing, I'd put meth very low on the list. Its effects on health are devastating.

If allowed to toke on some weed, chew a little kratom (sp?), or even take some NoDoz, maybe meth would lose some of its appeal.

Maybe even some designer drugs in a bottle, based on cocaine or opium, carefully toned down to reduce the effects on health? (Edit: Coca Cola didn't get its name by accident) Then the M150 and Red Bull guys can rake in even more money, too- instead of it going to criminals who would murder you just as soon as look at you...

All good points.

Putting the coca back in the cola would be a gratifying first step.

It's incredible that the US - and the world - didn't learn any lessons from Prohibition.

[Bob12345]

I am I admit against hard drug use. That said I am all for legal marijuana use. I just came back from Canada and now in British Columbia people can buy pot legally if they have a doctor,s note.People are smoking it in public no problem.I feel if people had access to soft drugs there would be little need to do hard drugs.Soft drugs are just that soft drugs.Legalize it,tax it and make it acceptable. The world would make money on tax and save money on courts and jails.Time for the law makers to face reality.

So for you ok if a pod head drives around and thinks you are a pokemon?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Thinking you are a pokemon would be a visual hallucination which is not one of the (side-) effects of cannabis/marihuana use.

[Confuscious]

A 33 year sentence for small time drug dealing is farcical .Meth is a nasty substance and should be kept as class A,but the time in Prison needs to be reduced.I.M.O.

A 15 years sentence for sending a "wrong email/SMS" is not farcical?

A "slap on the hands and asking very humble if the offender would agree with doing community service" for somebody who murdered 9 people while driving without a drive permit is not farcical?

ROTFLMAO

[Bangkok Barry]

I feel if people had access to soft drugs there would be little need to do hard drugs.Soft drugs are just that soft drugs.Legalize it,tax it and make it acceptable. The world would make money on tax and save money on courts and jails.Time for the law makers to face reality.

People DO have access to soft drugs, and it is taxed. It's called alcohol.

[chainarong]

A Re think could possibly be inviting Mr "T" back under section 44, 12 years ago they were dragging suspects out the front yards of their homes in the North and summary execution gangland style on Thaksin's watch , this was Thaksin Shinawatra's answer to drug control and the reason why he was being investigated by the UN for crimes against humanity, the sad fact that four and half thousand were murdered without trial, and the UN dropped the ball when Thaksin turned rebel fugitive.........................

Edited July 18, 2016 by chainarong

[sanukjim]

Instead of the head line"Lost drug war" should it not be "Lost societies thinking on drugs"? The ignorant will continue to do the ignorant things without education.and not just of facts about drugs, but of moral,family,and the ways of responsibilities in the world. If this does not work <Then ship the bastards to someplace like "Devil's Island" off the coast of French Guiana in South America.Oh Yes supply them with enough dope to kill themselfs. .

[adhd]

if a user goes to jail for 0.1 gram of whatever , kinda useless ... the million pill drug mules or drug lords get away with murder

why not free all the users that did not rob, steal or whatever to get their drugs and put the dealers to a permanent dirt nap

or do as in the good old USA where people are waking up that cannabis can actually help with cancer pains

and most cannabis users are mellow ... the problem is the yaba and you can relate that to the amount of stabbings, murders, ... on drugs or alcohol

free country should mean: take what you want, as long as you do not damage to others

oh, i guess that is too much christian idea

Edited July 18, 2016 by adhd

[GeckosDiving]

Says it all really

[MisterTee]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

If you compare drug use, costs of addiction, and number of people in jails you will notice that the countries that fight drugs the hardest ( = America) are having the poorest results while the countries that fight "smarter" (northern Europe) are fairing pretty well. But instead of fighting "smarter" you are suggesting to even intensify the war on drugs?

Better control of the borders: good luck with that. Even North Korea cannot control its borders strictly enough let alone Thailand where most borders are forested areas and the police/military who is guarding the borders are corrupt.

Stern warning to Burma: not sure what you mean there. You suggest Thailand threatens Burma to clean up "or else"? I don't think anybody can take that serious.

Reeducate youngsters: maybe start by educating them first and offer them something to work towards. People do not take drugs "for fun", they do it because they lack opportunities, self-esteem, a future, etc.

Purge all corrupt officials: agree there, this is necessary but should also be done unrelated to drug smuggling and drug use.

​"People do not take drugs 'for fun', they do it because they lack opportunities, self-esteem, a future, etc." ​

That is absolute nonsense.

Coming of age in the 1960s my friends and I and our whole generation in the US certainly didn't lack opportunities, self-esteem, or the prospects for a good future.

Travelling in the West Indies and Europe shortly after that, and then overland across Asia on the Hippie Trail didn't do anything to take the fun and pleasure out of moderate indulgence

[anto]

>>A 15 years sentence for sending a "wrong email/SMS" is not farcical?<<

Who did that happen to ?

[impulse]

I would like to see the evidence that it is so bad. its heavily used by the worlds air forces, they seem happy to supply their members with this drug so their should be some kind of medical evidence available, and also a variation is used by school kids in a pretty big way. strange the way this drug is supposed to be so bad yet governments hand it out for free to a lot of people.

Huge difference between cooking it up by the adulterated kilogram in some filthy kitchen and carefully controlled dosing under the supervision of medical professionals to achieve a specific outcome.

Google "meth mouth" and follow the links for your evidence.

[hansnl]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

And the drugs will still be used.

Forget your ideas, they will not work.

Nor will murdering the small fry, illegally or "legally".

Edited July 18, 2016 by hansnl

[rethaier]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

Rubbish! All been tried before and failed. It's an unwinnable war just legalise drugs and be done with it. I care not if any individual wants to fry his brains out thereby enhancing the gene pool. Legalization removes the criminal element by removing the obscene profits. But the downside is that many higher ups will need to defer their retirement.

[PremiumLane]

So just because prisons are full doesn't make drug's dealing any less sever, yes, the penalties are a bit

harsh for drug dealing and possessions, but look at our neighbors Singapore and Malaysia with

a sure death sentences for a fairly small amount of class A drugs,

A better control of the borders, stern warning to Burma, the major supplier huge quantities all class of drugs

to better control and seal it's unabated drug manufacturing,

A country wide scheme to reeducate youngsters and old alike to the perils of drugs, but most of all, purge of all

corrupt officials that give their permission and turn a blind eye for money and power.....

Oh yeah, that has really worked in the past ,hasn't it?

Drugs are a health not a criminal problem. Criminals are only involved because we ban it. No ban, no organized crime, no corrupt officials - it isn't rocket science.

This doesn't mean meth will be available at the 7-11 all of a sudden. What it should mean is that addicts get treated properly, and that all the money wasted on the pointless War on Drugs can be put into education and employment programs - give people hope and a place in society and they won't turn to drugs so much.

We need logical, non-emotional approach to drugs, sadly like in the West, it probably won't happen.

[realenglish1]

Drug additciont is not a crime its is a disease Treat it like a disease

[bark]

Ten year ago, they started the war on drug traffickers. When they locked 100 + men in a 40 foot trailer on Friday afternoon( 45-55 degrees); and

came back to open it Monday morning. It sent a message to the drug dealer ( Death ). i think that 2,000 people died over a 2 year span.

Same as Indonesia. Drug dealers = Death.