In today's Bangkok post there was an article where a senator in Thailand called for the setting up of government shops where speed pills would be sold for 1 baht each, as compared to 120 baht black market prices. Calling on the decriminalization of speed in order to take the profit out of it, the senator challenged the Wa to compete with the price of 1 baht for the Thai market. Although not much could be done for current adicts it was said that it would greatly reduce harm as well as free up funds for treatment programs. Someone is finally bucking the US drug war. Matthew McDaniel October 28, 2000 Bangkok Post Senator backs legal speed sale Pills at a baht each to end black market The state should set up its own shops to sell controlled amounts of cheap methamphetamine as the best way to tackle rampant addiction, a northeastern senator suggested yesterday. This would take the initiative away from black market drug traffickers like the United Wa State Army in Burma. "The state must revamp its philosophy of drug suppression," Senator Kawee Supatheera (Khon Kaen) said. "This is already being done in The Hague [in the Netherlands], where addicts can buy limited amounts of drugs from state stores. "They will die eventually of their addiction, and meanwhile the government is preventing other people from getting addicted."He suggested the state should price its speed at only one baht a pill. "Let's see if the Wa army could still capture our market then," said the former Khon Kaen governor. Mr Kawee was speaking after the 12-member Senate administration committee visited the Interior Ministry for a briefing yesterday. The panel put the failure of efforts to fight drug abuse squarely on the ministry. "The longer the state fights against drugs, the more drugs keep spreading. Drug traffickers are very influential," Mr Kawee said. The state must also actively encourage the public to help in the fight against drug addiction, he said. -- http://www.akha.com http://www.akha.org Donations by check or money order may be sent to: The Akha Heritage Foundation PO BOX 6073 Salem OR 97304 USA By Visa Card Secure Site: https://www.givetocharity.com/cgi-bin/give.pl?CODE=10956 -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> <FONT COLOR="#000099">eGroups eLerts It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! </FONT><A HREF="http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/16/_/475667/_/972744714/"><B>Click Here!</B></A> ---------------------------------------------------------------------_->
