PUBLISHED: 7 Jun 2024 at 04: 35
The Ministry of Public Health wants to change the laws to prohibit those who currently take five or more meth tablets from using them as a form of drug use and refrain from going to detox.
The controversial rules, which states that people caught with five or more cocaine devices in their hands may be treated as an offender, has been proposed by the government.
However, the rules received a lot of negative reviews because it made it possible for anyone who had one to four meth tablets to be treated as a drug addiction in need of rehab and thereby avoid a possible prison sentence.
The government under the past minister, Dr Cholnan Srikaew, introduced the five- or- more- pills- for- criminal legislation. But, critics say that his son, Somsak Thepsutin, has caved in to societal pressure, which is why he is seeking to cut the reduce- off point for an offender from five tablets or more down to one tablet.
The government has submitted a draft regulation amendment to that effect to the cupboard for consideration.
More than 90 % of individuals at current public trials conducted on the proposed amendment have endorsed lowering the cut-off to one product, according to Mr. Somsak, who spoke on Thursday.
In addition to having no more than one cocaine tablet, a person may tell the police where they obtained the medication so that investigators can track down the dealers and suppliers so they can be officially defined as a drug addict.
According to Mr. Somsak, separating drug addicts from dealers reduces jail overcrowding and allows the original to access reputable rehab.
He added that while the document act is awaited, the ministry has also given the Department of Mental Health a mandate to intensify the coordination efforts to ensure appropriate treatment for drug users.
In addition, Mr. Somsak on Thursday received 100, 000 signatures of people in support of the government’s effort to reclassify marijuana as a narcotic drug along with a petition submitted to him by the Youth Network Against Cannabis ( YNAC ).
A survey conducted by Nida Poll on April 5 through 29 revealed that 44 % of respondents were extremely satisfied with the government’s drug-supression policy, while 41 % claimed that their level of satisfaction with the policy has remained constant over the past six months.
12 % of respondents said they were less than happy with the drug-smuggling policy and its implementation.