26 June 2015- The Public Health Ministry burns the illicit drugs and marijuana seized by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau weighting over 9,468 kilograms and worth 22,339 million baht on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking. It also reveals that during the past eight months of the fiscal year 2015, 144,479 people or 65.67 % of the target people have been treated. Today, at the Utility and Environment Management Center, Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in the province of Phra Nakhorn Si Ayutthaya Prof. Dr. Yongyuth Yuthavong, Deputy Prime Minister is presiding over the ceremony of mass burning of confiscated drugs, witnessed by Public Health Minister Prof. Dr. Rajata Rajatanavin, acting Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Surachet Satitniramai, Secretary-General of Food and Drug Administration Dr. Boonchai Somboonsook, foreign ambassadors, officials from concerned offices and news media.
The 7,340 kilograms of drugs to be burnt accumulated through 5,508 cases were ; (1) around 66 million pills of methamphetamine or “Yaa-baa” weighting over 5,958 kilograms, worth approximately 19,862 million baht (2) Crystal methamphetamine or “Yaa-ice” weighting over 798 kilograms, worth approximately 1,996 million baht (3) Heroin weighting over 418 kilograms, worth approximately 335 million baht (4) Cocaine weighting over 35 kilograms, worth approximately 115 million baht (5) around 27,000 pills of ecstasy or “Yaa-ee” weighting over 6 kilograms, worth approximately 24 million baht (6) Opium weighting over 18 kilograms, worth approximately 600,000 baht and (7) other drugs. All these drugs were worth totally 22,334 million baht. There was also Marijuana from the stock of confiscated drugs held by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, weighting 2,128 kilograms, worth more than 5 million baht.
These drugs were burnt by a method called Pyrolytic Incineration, with a temperature above 850 degree Celsius, turning every molecule of all addictive drugs and substance into carbon ashes very quickly and rendering them completely unusable without creating any kind of air or environmental pollution. After the burning process the ashes were randomly checked to see if any substances were remained. So far, no substance was found.
According to Prof. Dr. Rajata Rajatanavin, the Public Health Minister, the ministry has coordinated rehabilitation treatment with other concerned agencies in accordance with the government urgent policy to help drug addicts resume normal lives. It has urged more than 800 hospitals under the supervision of the Ministry, both in Bangkok and in the provinces, to utilize international standard rehabilitation method such as Matrix model which can treat physical, mental and social aspects by using drug addicts families to participate in the programme.
After 1-4 months of treatment the drug addict can return to his/her community. There are three systems of rehabilitation treatment: voluntary, compulsory and correctional. In the fiscal year 2014, 359,399 people were treated while the expected figure was 300,000 people.
In the fiscal year 2015, it was expected that 220,000 people would be treated in all three rehabilitation systems while 230,000 people who have been treated during 2014-2015 still need to be followed up. During the first eight months of fiscal year 2015 (1 October 2014 – 31 May 2015) 144,479 people have been treated in 1,287 hospitals, under or not under the supervision of the Ministry, throughout the country. All of these, 73,896 were in compulsory system, 57,678 were in voluntary system and 12,905 were in correctional system. Around 33.31 percent of them were aged between 15- 24 years. The majority were workers, unemployed and farmer. Among those drug addicts recently entered into rehabilitation treatment (68.19 %), 61.07 % were drug abusers, 36.09 % were drug addicts and 2.89 % were serious drug addicts. The first three highest abused drugs were Yaa-baa (79.62%), marijuana (6.15%) and Yaa-ice (4.35%), and a large portion admitted to single drug use (over 60%).
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