The health of prison inmates tended to be worse than in the general population, particularly for those who use drugs. Based on the principle of human rights and equity of access, healthcare services provided to prison inmates should be equivalent to those provided to the general population.

This study had a 2-group pre-post quasiexperimental design and was conducted in 2 selected areas of Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand. The objective was to evaluate the extent to which the surveillance system that was developed helped in drowning prevention. The development process involved extensive participation from the community. System efficiency was evaluated, and the drowning rates were compared. The system demonstrated 82.8% system sensitivity and 87% positive-predictive value. There were 90.0% rescues with no injury during the study period. The relative risk of drowning injury suggests that the control area was at 5.6 times more at risk for drowning injury than the intervention area (95% CI = 1.58, 20.12). Local knowledge and participation from the community were found to be key issues in the success of the surveillance system, and such systems can be applied to other areas with similar problems.

IntroductionAnalyzing the situation and risk factors associated with using new psychoactive substances (NPS) is essential for preventing and controlling health consequences. This study explored the prevalence and associated factors of NPS use in the Thai population.MethodsThis descriptive study was conducted in participants (N = 30,411, mean age = 42.4 ± 13.4 years, range = 15–64 years, 50.3% women) from urban and rural areas of Thailand. The participants were chosen using multistage sampling for large populations. The data were collected in July–December 2016 and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi-square, multiple logistic regression, and odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsThe prevalence of lifetime NPS use was 49.7% (95% CI, 49.1–51.3), past-year use was 31.3% (95% CI, 30.8–31.8), and current (past-month) use was 14.9% (95% CI, 14.5–15.3). Among current users, 29.5% were habitual users (over 20 days). The factors associated with current NPS use were sex (male/female) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.145; 95% CI, 1.075–1.221; p < 0.001), age group (25–64/15–24 years) (AOR = 1.126; 95% CI, 1.090–1.358; p < 0.001), educational attainment (elementary or secondary education and higher) (AOR = 1.634; 95% CI, 1.529–1.747; p < 0.001), and employment status (AOR = 1.842; 95% CI, 1.683–2.016; p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe prevalence of NPS use in Thailand is high, which reflects abuse behavior that could potentially harm users. Understanding the prevalence and risk factors of NPS use could benefit policymakers.

There was a decrease in prevalence of illicit drug use within the past year between 2001 and 2003 in Thailand. Since 2003, the past year prelavence of illicit drug use has remained relatively stable. From 2001 to 2011, cannabis, kratom and yaba have remained the three most commonly reported types of illicit drugs used in Thailand.

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Context: A major social problem among clients with substance use disorders is stigmatization related to health conditions, which contributes to poor mental and physical health circumstances and becomes hazardous to substance abuse treatment. Meanwhile, decreased stigmatization among cannabis users might occur because some people use cannabis without experiencing harm or believe it to be a harmless substance and might not be receiving treatment. Several studies have investigated stigma toward substance use disorder and treatment. However, less is known about how stigmatization influences treatment. Aims: To investigate the association between the perceived stigma of addiction and treatment utilization among cannabis addicts. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted with consecutive sampling techniques among 977 cannabis users recruited from all 7 compulsory drug detention centers in Thailand. The data were collected by standardized interviewers with a structured interviewing questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was applied to determine the effect of perceived stigma of treatment utilization. Results: Most clients were male (84.5%), had a family history of drug problems (54.5%), and had a history of mental health problems (5.1%). Most of them reported moderate-to-high levels of perceived stigma (87.2%) and received treatment (28.9%). Greater perceived stigma was associated with decreased treatment for cannabis abuse. Conclusions: The perceived stigma of addiction is a barrier to cannabis abuse treatment utilization. Thus, a better understanding of stigma could reduce its negative impact on seeking and engaging in treatment.

Various drug camps have been introduced in Thailand since the 2000s. This study explored the effects of drug camps in Thailand. Four provinces were selected to represent different region throughout Thailand. Assessments of 2679 drug users were carried out longitudinally, age ranging from 11 to 67 years old; assessments occurred before camp, after camps, and after a 1 year follow-up. Two hundred twenty-six camps organizers, community leaders, and lay people were selected as key informants. Twenty communities were observed prospectively and 400 lay people were studied. Self-administered questionnaires were utilized as well as interview guidelines and documents. It emerged that the effectiveness of drug camp was 51.3% (intention-to-treat), whilst poly drug use increased significantly from before camp and 3 months after camp (repeated ANOVA p < 0.001) particularly among users aged 15 years old and over. Drug camps could be considered as an alternative measure for drug users; however, negative impacts should be considered.