1.5 million Thais used drugs in 2024

Data from a new national survey shows the growth in methamphetamine use. This phenomenon no longer affects only the northern areas traditionally close to production sites in Myanmar. As many as 300,000 people have needed medical treatment for drug addiction-related problems.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) - New data from Thailand's drug control agency highlight the growth and, above all, the extent of drug use in the country, particularly methamphetamines. With regard to the latter, in 2024, 1.5 million individuals between the ages of 12 and 65 were recorded as using them.

Among the coordinates of the problem are data on 300,000 individuals who required medical treatment and 220,000 who showed mental health problems.

This phenomenon, highlighted by data contained in a study on drug addiction conducted by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, outlines even more clearly the extent of a phenomenon that is certainly not new but is becoming more pronounced and evolving, even far from the northern areas traditionally close to Burmese opium production and the laboratories across the border, which are the world's largest production centre for synthetic narcotics.

Not only is the wide availability and low cost of methamphetamine pills highlighted, but also the factors that encourage their use in a country experiencing various forms of social unrest. The aim of the study is to inform all bodies involved in prevention and control and to make use of this information in their initiatives.

Methamphetamine pills are by far the most widely used drug and the one with the greatest social impact, followed by ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine, opium and cocaine. Of the registered drug addicts, 21,000 are poly-drug users. This group is considered “high risk” and requires adequate assistance.

In general, the research reveals an overall situation that requires not only increased attention but also better coordination between the forces in the field, including the newly established National Centre for Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation.

It is not new, but it is alarming to confirm that the main area of production of drugs circulating in Thailand, and often exported elsewhere by transnational trafficking networks, remains Myanmar, which is in the grip of civil war.

This is particularly true in Shan State, with particular reference to the region inhabited by the Wa, who in turn use the proceeds from illegal production and trafficking to control the territory under their control by force of arms.