BANGKOK – According to reports from Thailand’s Justice Ministry the Country has become “a narcotics hub” and the Southeast Asian country most affected by drug abuse.

At an opening ceremony for a new drug rehabilitation facility in capital Bangkok, General Paiboon Khumchaya said 1.3 million people in Thailand – 2 percent of its population – were “drug addicts,” according to the Bangkok Post.

Referring to figures from the Office of the Narcotic Control Board and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, he said Thailand ranked the highest for drug addiction among the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Explaining that 250,000 “addicts” have been detained after facing sentencing, Khumchaya added, “more than 200,000 imprisoned drug addicts are actually not key dealers.”

Underlining that most countries had realized that the imprisonment of drug offenders was not a solution as it could not cure addiction in most cases, he stressed the need to separate convicted and non-convicted drug users in rehabilitation facilities.

The justice minister, who expressed his concern that many users resort to drug abuse once again after returning from rehabilitation centers to their old environment, also called for a regrouping of diverse anti-drug laws under a single piece of legislation.
Such frank assessments by Thai officials of the country’s drug situation are relatively rare.

More here: Thailand Highest in ASEAN for Drug Addiction | Chiang Rai Times English Language Newspaper