Today at the Utility and Environment Management Center, Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate, Bang Pa-in, Phra Nakhon Si Ayuthaya Province, Lieutenant General Chatchalerm Chalermsuk, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Royal Thai Army, and Deputy Chief of the Legal and Judicial affairs of the National Council for Peace and Order, presides over the opening ceremony of destruction of confiscated narcotics, in custody of the Royal Thai Government, on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 26 June , 2014. This is the 43rd destruction of the seized narcotics and is organized by the cooperation between the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Public Health and various concerned governmental and private agencies, such as, the Royal Thai Police, the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy, the Royal Thai Air Force, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate.
The total amount of the destroyed confiscated narcotics on this occasion was 3,094 kilograms from a total of 2,911 cases, worth 8,867 million Baht. These include various narcotics such as Methamphetamine or “Yaabaa”, totaling 27 million tablets, weighing over 2,504 kilograms, worth approximately 8,348 million Baht; Crystal Methamphetamine or “Ice”, weighing over 243 kilograms, worth approximately 487 million Baht; Heroin, weighing over 21 kilograms, worth approximately 17 million Baht; Ecstasy about 9,000 pills, weighing over 2 kilograms, worth approximately 9 million Baht ; Opium of over 74 kilograms, worth approximately 2 million Baht.
The procedure used to destroy the confiscated illicit drugs on this occasion is called Pyrolytic Incineration, which effectively burns the drugs at a temperature of more than 850 degree Celsius, turning every molecule of all addictive drugs and substances into carbon ashes very quickly and rendering them completely unusable without creating any kind of air or environmental pollution.
With strong determination to enhance people’s quality of life and to support the National Council for Peace and Order policy on narcotics suppression. Ministry of Public Health aims to urgently promote the solving of the spread of narcotics problems and has set the target of treating abusers and addicts, who are regarded as patients to a total of not less than 300,000 out of the overall expected number of drug abusers of 1.2 million people.
In term of the rehabilitation of drug addicts, there are 1,287 hospitals throughout the country under and outside the supervision of the ministry that provide such services to the patients. According to the latest report regarding abusers and addicts, the total number of those who entered rehabilitation programs in all 3 systems between 1 October 2013 and 15 June 2014 was 150,517. The numbers of participants for the three systems of rehabilitation were 39,628 having entered the programs voluntarily, 97,713 having been forced to undergo them and 13,176 who were rehabilitated during the punishment term. 61% of those undergoing rehabilitation programs were abusers, 36% addicts and 3% serious addicts. The narcotic drugs most often used by abusers and addicts were Methamphetamines or Yaabaa (87%), Marijuana (4.5%) and Ice (3.7%). The occupation of the abusers that have most often used narcotic drugs were hired labor , unemployed , and agriculturist.
From the analysis of those drug abusers who entered the rehabilitation programs, 45% were young persons between 15 and 24 years of age which was the biggest group.
**************************** June 26, 2014