Treatment or punishment - Drug Rehab in Thailand

The government's more than 30-year war on drugs has had disastrous consequences, as evidenced by overcrowded prisons and detention centres, including those masquerading as "rehabilitation centres". Thailand has the highest number of prison sentences in the world for drug offences. Many people, young and old, men and women, who use or sell drugs are in prisons where we do not see their suffering. Worse, we lock them up in overcrowded institutions, in poor conditions, and call this a 'rehabilitation programme'. No one who wants to be treated for drugs should be forced or confined to a program. People should not be punished or imprisoned for drug use or addiction. We discussed the problems of drugs rehab at the best addiction treatment center in karachi and created a list of things to deep dive.

This article examines Thailand's efforts to combat drug abuse and discusses the outcomes of people in prison and in the rehabilitation system (hereafter referred to as "drug rehabilitation" for short). The paper also presents the experiences of people who have been through drug rehabilitation programs in recent years and discusses the impact of these programs. The paper concludes with recommendations for public authorities in Thailand responsible for combating drug abuse. At the best addiction treatment center in karachi we have seen similar cases.

Although Thailand has the highest prison population of any ASEAN country, this does not mean that it has the highest crime rate. On the contrary, it reflects some problems in the justice system. The increase in the number of people in prison is due to changes in drug laws, which have become so strict that anyone involved in methamphetamine trafficking must go to jail.

This is a solution that open the gate to another problem drug rehabilitation.

In 2001, the government tried to solve the problem of over-incarceration by transferring drug users to a "rehabilitation center," reducing the number of people in prison from 240,000 to 160,000. Since then, new problems have emerged related to too many people in rehabilitation centres: in 2019, 226,002 people were in rehabilitation centres. In some centres, especially those overseen by the police and the army, patients are not even treated by doctors or health authorities. Instead, patients are simply placed under the supervision of a designated warden who treats them as if they were in prison. In some centers there is only one qualified health worker. At the best addiction treatment center in karachi we have worked with health workers.

Voluntary rehabilitation takes two forms:

a. people who come voluntarily or with the help of relatives and are then cared for in a medical setting; or

b. people who are arrested by police for drug possession or after a positive drug test in their urine and who then "attend" a state-funded rehabilitation program that allows them to avoid a criminal record rather than being prosecuted and possibly charged. This process is which is known as kor sor chor is mandatory. Patients undergoing the Kor Sor Chor 108 process are usually admitted to a center under the mandatory rehabilitation program.

Compulsory rehabilitation is a situation in which persons arrested and detained under the Rehabilitation Act 2002 are held in custody after being involuntarily admitted to a rehabilitation program following a criminal prosecution and a court order without having a criminal record.

Prison rehabilitation involves arresting, detaining, and sentencing drug users to incarceration with an order to attend a prison rehabilitation program. After completion of the program, the prison sentence may be reduced.

Thailand has the highest crime rate. Along with that it reflects that there are some problems in the judicial process. Drug laws has increased the number of prisoners in the country, which is so strict that anybody with those drugs weather to use themselves or to sell them are going to prison.

The 'solution' opens the door to another problem: the methods of rehabilitation of drug users.

In 2001, the government tried to solve the problem of prison overcrowding by transferring drug addicts to 'rehabilitation centers', which reduced the number of people in prison from 240,000 to 160,000. Since then, new problems of overcrowding have emerged: in 2019, 226,002 people were in the drug rehabilitation system. In some centers, especially those controlled by the police and military services, patients are not even treated by doctors or health professionals. Instead, patients are simply placed under the supervision of an appointed director, who treats them as if they are being punished with a prison sentence. Some centers have only one trained health worker.

Voluntary rehab accepts people in two ways:

a. people who come on their own initiative or through their family and are then treated in a medical facility, or

b. People who are arrested by the police for drug possession or after a urine test, but who then "agree" to participate in a public drug rehab program, which allows them to have a clean record instead of a criminal conviction and a potential criminal record. This process is known as "Cor Sor Chor 108." (Thai: คสช 108), which will likely make participation in a drug rehabilitation program mandatory rather than voluntary. Patients who complete the Kor Sor 108 process are generally admitted to a center in the mandatory rehab system.

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Mandatory rehabilitation refers to cases where, under the Rehabilitation Act of 2002, prisoners and inmates are placed in detention after being involuntarily enrolled in a drug rehabilitation program without a criminal record, after being charged and ordered by the court.