BANGKOK: Thai officials say last year was the worst year on record for the use of methamphetamine, a form of speed, called ya ba, or “crazy medicine” here. The Thai military is so alarmed that it has labelled the surge in users a threat to national security.

Almost all of the methamphetamine is produced in labs in Myanmar, where the drug lords who made the Golden Triangle synonymous with heroin have diversified into a product that’s cheaper to produce, smuggle, and market than heroin, Thai police officials say.

Five years ago, just a trickle of methamphetamines were reaching Thailand. Today it’s a torrent. About 70,000 Thais were convicted for methamphetamine-related offences last year, up from 16,000 in 1997. Roughly 90 per cent of all drug cases last year involved methamphetamines, and narcotics-control officials estimate that 5 per cent of the population uses the drug.

Still, drug experts such as Kanda Choaymeung find hope in the current situation. The psychologist and director of the Rajadamri drug treatment centre says Thailand is finally getting its arms around the problem. “We were so focused on treating heroin addiction, we weren’t prepared when it hit us,” she says.

In the past few years, a government-backed television and radio blitz with movie and sports stars has slowly changed the drug’s image from harmless to sinister. Thailand’s police force has become more adept at catching users. And treatment centres have adapted to the special needs of their patients.

Mrs Kanda, who has participated in the overhaul of Thai treatment centres, says statistics and anecdotal evidence show that the drug’s spread seems to be slowing for the first time. “Use will soon plateau,” she says. “There is a natural evolution of a drug epidemic, whether it’s cocaine or heroin, and I think we’re near the top.” Still, millions of poor, labouring Thais use ya ba. It can cost as little as $1 per pill, and the pills, which are usually eaten or ground up and smoked, give users a feeling of hyper alertness.—Dawn/The Christian Science Monitor.