A 13-year-old student from a school in Buriram was sent to a hospital after he displayed symptoms of restlessness and anxiety, including screaming, during class.
The seventh grader, who was rushed to Huai Rat Hospital, admitted to having used drugs since primary school, during which he would join his older friends to do drugs in the local sugarcane fields in his village. Recent urine tests did not show any traces of drugs, which suggests his symptoms may be attributed to his past drug use.
The student’s mother told reporters she was not aware of her son’s drug use until the school informed her of his erratic behavior. He will be admitted in the hospital for seven days until doctors can see there is an improvement to his condition.
The village chief, Samian Yaowalak, said he also was not aware that the boy was involved with drugs. Residents in the village recount that the boy was seen as cheerful during primary school but had become reclusive after entering secondary school. It is unclear whether he had taken drugs at this time.
The headman only learned of the boy’s hospital admission that morning and was still unclear about the cause. He revealed that two individuals from the village, aged 16 and 21, had previously been sent to rehab for drug addiction.
The incident has caused parents concern over how easily accessible drugs have become. It is unclear what drugs the boy had taken.
As for today, public health spokesman Cholnan Srikaew announced that the Ministry of Public Health had called for a meeting involving relevant organizations, including those responsible for security, social issues, as well as the Narcotics Control and Suppression Commission (NCSC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
They deliberated on the threshold for the quantity of narcotics pills, either 5 or 10, that would qualify an individual as a drug user who requires rehabilitation.
The new law grants the Ministry of Public Health the authority to set these criteria, which will take into account the number of pills consumed and the individual’s behavior. If someone falls within the drug trade category, they will face legal action, regardless of the number of pills they possess.
