Consensus grows to treat drugs users less harshly than dealers
Public Health Ministry is considering a new regulation on drugs possession, specifically methamphetamine or ‘Ya Ba’ (also known as “crazy pills”), one of the most popular drugs in Thailand, in a bid to separate drugs users from dealers or manufacturers and facilitate treatment.
The Ministry’s acting permanent secretary, Dr Kittisak Aksornwong, chaired a multi-sector meeting on Friday with representatives from the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Office of Narcotics Control Board, Royal Thai Police Headquarters, Office of the Attorney General and Office of the Council of State.
The meeting, which lasted for over three hours, agreed that the ministerial regulation on illegal drugs possession should be revised. It should stipulate that those who possess less than five tablets of methamphetamine be classified as drugs users, allowing them to enter a treatment process instead of facing legal prosecution.
Meanwhile, those who possess more than five tablets will face legal charges of drug possession for either their own use (less than one year of jail term punishment) or for sale (a 1-10 years jail term).
Kittisak said the five-tablets stipulation is based on medical reasons as advised by the Department of Mental Health, Department of Medical Services, Department of Medical Science and the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr Dussadee Jungsirakulwitch, director-general of the Department of Mental Health, said that medical evidence indicates that using more than 55 milligrams of methamphetamine could cause mental disorder that would classify the patient as having SMIV (serious mental illness with a high risk of violence).
“SMIV patients have a high tendency of harming themselves and others, causing them to be a danger to the society and therefore needing immediate treatment,” she said.
The Public Health Minister will later issue a draft amendment of the ministerial regulations, which will be followed by a public hearing session before it can be proposed to the Cabinet for approval.
