Investigation into missing cold pills is important

Recent reports about large numbers of cold pills that contain the drug pseudoephedrine having gone missing from state hospitals are quite alarming. If there is evidence of links between the missing pills and the production of methamphetamine, here or in neighbouring countries, then the matter is much more than just embezzlement – it concerns production of narcotic drugs.
But even if the investigative officers do find proof to link the “missing” medication with the production of meth, it does not suggest the problem of widespread drug abuse in Thailand will be over. In fact, it is getting worse.
Even though the number of meth – or yaba – seizures has increased, the amount of methamphetamine has not reduced. This just shows that production of meth is so huge that these seizures have little effect on its availability.
Recent news about cold pills “disappearing” brought the issue to public attention again. Millions of tablets containing pseudoephedrine were found to have be stolen from hospitals in Chiang Mai and Udon Thani.
While the investigation has yet to be conclusive, police investigators speculated that the medication was taken to to produce methamphetamine. Medication containing pseudoephedrine can be used a precursor chemical to produce meth.
If it’s proven that the unaccounted drugs were used for meth production, then it’s an unexpected irony, given that the government has campaigned against the use of such drugs. There have even been suggestions of former senior government officials possibly involved in an undercover trade of these cold pills.
At any rate, the unaccounted medication is just a small part of the problem. Thailand has faced a critical problem of widespread availability of meth as well as many other narcotic drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and many others.
Meth, nonetheless, has become one of the most abused drugs these days. It has created severe socio-economic problems, especially for youths. It can be addictive and can lead to extreme behaviour – users are prone to hallucinate and become paranoid, and/or violent. Many criminal incidents involve people who use meth, partly because it is readily available at affordable prices.
Addicts use meth as if they are consuming an energy drink and say they feel higher levels of energy. The demographic groups of people using this drug has grown from drivers who work long hours a day to farmers, blue-collar workers, office workers and students. The drug was outlawed years ago, yet it is one of the most common in Southeast Asia.
Thai police say they have traced the disappearance of cold pills, including a huge number of empty medicine packets, to San Kamphaeng district in Chiang Mai.
The investigation – now taken over by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) – must be thoroughly conducted to try to get to the bottom of this illegal trade and what happened to the pills that are unaccounted for.
Even if the medication was not used to produce illegal drugs, the embezzlement alone is a legal offence. Officials caught smuggling the cold pills may not know where the medicine goes. But serious enforcement must be imposed to ensure that there is no smuggling of these drugs out of state hospitals, which could add a social problem by increasing the amount of drugs available on the street.
Hospitals are unlikely to be the major source of ingredients in the production of meth in neighbouring countries. So the authorities should focus on several approaches to tackle the problem effectively. Widespread use of ‘yaba’ stems from a lack of education, as well as ineffective police enforcement, including the involvement of officers and power-in-power. The trail of drugs often starts from areas across borders.
More importantly, people’s attitudes need to change. Widespread drug abuse shows that people feel that it is increasingly acceptable to use drugs. Suppliers must be brought to justice for they simply cannot regard the drug trade as a booming business – drugs destroy people’s lives. So, we hope the current investigation can curb this harmful business.