Date:
1977-1981
Source:
Office of the Prime
Minister, National Economic and Social Development Board, Bangkok, Thailand
Subject:
health services, drug
addicts
Text:
1. Problems
Relating Drug Addicts
1.1
Current Situation and Main Problems
When
the Government put a ban on opium-smoking and closed down all opium-smoking
dens and burnt opium pipes at the Pra-mane Grounds on January 1, 1959, there
were about 79,540 opium-addicts, according to a survey at the time. Since
then, opium has been replaced by heroin. Various surveys carried out by a
number of committees and a report of the World Health Organization indicate
that there are about 600,000 drug addicts in Thailand and about 60 to 70 per
cent of this total consists of young people between 16 and 24 years of age.
These
statistics clearly indicate that drug problems are a national concern and
should be dealt with urgently. In addition to the misdirection of funds to the
tune of 10,800 million baht a year to buy heroin, drug addicts are partly
responsible for the rise in crime rates and are unproductive components of the
nation’s human resources.
1.2
Guidelines and Measures
Although
capital punishment and long prison terms have been meted out by the Government
to producers of these drugs and to drug traffickers, clandestine trade in
drugs still persists. The following preventive measures have been emphasised
in the Fourth Plan: -
1.2.1 Prevention
-
Health education will be intensively
provide and information on the dangers of drug usage and preventive
methods will be widely diffused. Parents and teachers organizations
should be established especially for these purposes.
-
The mental health of the population
should be improved as a preventive measure against the taking of drugs.
This is to be done by giving mental health education to all public
health agencies and to the public in general.
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