Topic: 2024-Substance Abuse
Country: Thailand
Delegate Name: Hana Shabani
World Health Organization
Substance Abuse
Thailand
Hana Shabani
Thailand is officially committed to respond to a new generation of global threat in substance abuse as a problem with a serious impact on the health of communities, welfare of populations, and stability of nations. Thai people have recently developed a vice in the use of banned substances such as methamphetamines, opioids and alcohol. The country understands the need to have a broad, cross sectorial approach to manage this epidemic that involves prevention, care, reduction of the adverse effects and law.
Drug abuse in Thailand is rampant, and the most commonly used drug are heroin and alcohol. The trend of Methamphetamine has been made more alarming as there are reports that show an increase in manufacture and distribution of the drug in that area. The problem of opioids includes the recreational use of prescription drugs for the treatment of pain and heroin addiction also poses a high risk factor. People still drink and continue to experience several health issues that include physical and mental. This has otherwise been accompanied by rise in problems of poverty, unemployment and violence and is a leading cause of high prices in the health sector in Thailand. These are factors which the country needs to address, through evidence based prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programs.
The Thailand has a made great progress in handling the use of drugs through variety of policies and programs. With regards to the problem the government has worked on preventing the spread with interventions such as awareness creation and education of the youths and other at risk groups. Mental health treatment and rehabilitation have been advanced but remain mostly inclusive; inpatient and outpatient care have grown but remain limited outside the large cities. Toward opioid use also Thailand has included use of harm reduction strategies. It has permitted needle exchange programs and opioid substitution therapy, despite of they are crucial in stopping the transmission of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C among drug consumers. Even to this there are efforts being made while there is still much that can be done in the area of access and something like scarce resources.
Thailand urges the international community to step effort to solve the problem of drug in the world and to get better treatment in facing drug abuse. We stand with the WHO in its drive to encourage the use of evidence-based prevention strategies; and to link mental health and substance abuse treatment services. We also emphasize that the measures like needle exchange and opioid substitution therapy remain an imperative involving tools for minimizing health risks attendant to the use of drugs. Thailand actively encourages the no stigma approach to drug dependency, and the country would like drug dependency victims to get sparing and appropriate healthcare service responses. Thus, requiring the WHO and every nation, which is its member, to pay more attention to priorities of the public health and human rights concerning substance abuse.