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Published on January 26, 2008

Measures discussed included imposing tougher legal control over three known ingredients and suggested penalties for possessing kratom leaves, which have a similar effect to marijuana.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla presided over a seminar attended by health officials, police and administrators from five provinces at the Novotel Hotel in Hat Yai yesterday.

Mongkol said the narcotics problem varied from region to region.

The Northeast has more of a problem from inhalant addictions, while in big cities such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri the use of yaba is the major issue, he said.

The South sees a widespread use of kratom. Many young people mix the leaves with ingredients such as cough syrup, tranquillisers, marijuana or even mosquito coils to make up new cocktails, Mongkol said.

The latest craze, known as "one-two-call" began in Ranong. It is a mix of kratom with hot coffee or yoghurt, which is believed to cure motion sickness and keep the user awake, he said.

Mongkol declared that drug abuse among young people in the South led to accidents. He said 85 per cent of young people involved in motorcycle accidents in Pattani's Sai Buri district looked as if they were drunk but did not smell of alcohol.

He warned that the prolonged use of drugs could lead to brain damage and psychological illnesses including paranoia.

This year the ministry allocated Bt275 million to rehabilitate 19,000 addicts around the country and implemented a follow-through programme to ensure they did not return to drugs, he said.

Campaigns to protect young people from drug abuse will continue, he added.

The ministry will also propose that the penalty for possession of kratom be equivalent to that for marijuana under the Narcotics Act 1979, Mongkol said.

The law states that anyone producing, distributing, importing or exporting marijuana or having over 10 kilograms of marijuana in their possession shall be automatically regarded as being a drug-trafficker, the penalties for which are up to five years in jail and a fine of Bt50,000.

The current punishment for possessing kratom leaves is up to two years in jail and a Bt20,000 fine.

Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary, Pipat Yingseri said that this year the ministry would allocate Bt6.4 million to carry out anti-drug measures in Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and four districts of Songkhla and rehabilitate 1,000 addicts in the region.

Last year fewer than 500 addicts underwent rehab, and this year the ministry aims to do better by reducing the number of young addicts by 10 per cent. The ministry allocated a Bt100,000 budget to the Medical Science Department to develop a urine test kit for kratom abuse, he said.

Narangsan Pirakit, deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the agency found that the most popular additive to kratom was prescription drug Alprazolam.

Last year, Narangsan said, a regulation to control over-the-counter sales of cough syrups containing codeine, which is a category-3 narcotic, led to addicts switching to other cough syrups, he said.

The FDA will promote cooperation between provincial authorities and pharmacists in the five southern border provinces to strictly observe the law and will invite them to

seminars to discuss restricting the distribution of controlled substances.

The Public Health Ministry last year issued a regulation for the FDA to limit illegal codeine use in Thailand and only allowed it to be stored at medical facilities with in-patients.

Another ministerial regulation states that any person with more than30 capsules in their possession is presumed guilty of intention to sell.

Duangkamol  Sajirawattanakul

The Nation

SONGKHLA