Health
Thailand’s Justice Ministry One Step Closer to Downgrading Methamphetamine’s “Yaba” from Category One Narcotic Drug
Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya said Monday that all necessary steps had to be put in place before yaba was to be removed from Category One list
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BANGKOK – Thailand’s Justice Ministry has been studying the advantages and disadvantages of removing methamphetamine or better known as “Yaba” from Category One narcotic drugs and measures to be taken if the drug is to be actually delisted.
Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya said Monday that all necessary steps had to be put in place before yaa baa was to be removed from Category One list for dangerous narcotic drugs and put into Category Two for general narcotic drugs.
He pointed out that in the treatment and rehabilitation process, the addicts could not be suddenly stopped from using yaa baa and the drug was still needed in the process but at certain limit prescribed by doctors and the amount used would be steadily reduced until the addicts themselves feel they could live without the drug.
However, the minister said that doctors could not legally use yaa baa in the rehabilitation process unless the drug is pulled out of Category One list and put into Category Two list, Thai PBS reported.
Addictive though, he said yaa baa is not life-threatening that it cannot be used in the rehabilitation of the addicts and under the close supervision of doctors.
The justice minister noted that suppression alone would not be able to solve the scourge of narcotic drugs unless treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts are undertaken simultaneously.
He indicated that the ministry might propose the prime minister to invoke Section 44 of the interim charter to remove yaa baa from Category One list so the drug could be legally used in rehabilitation process.
