Changing Patterns of Drug Use among Thai Youths 1972 – 1976

Abstract

This study examines changes in rates and types of drug used by youths in Thailand. It reports information collected in two separate studies, one of which was conducted in 1972 and the other, in 1976. This research met the challenge set to serious investigators by informal estimates of increasing drug use among Thai youths that were reported in the mass media. The author and his colleagues undertook to investigate systematically the magnitude of drug usage among two specific populations, students and youthful workers. A survey instrument was administered to a carefully selected sample in order to learn about their degree of personal experience with illicit drugs, their reasons for initiating experience with drugs, their knowledge about the availability of illicit drugs, the types of drugs used, the age at which young people initiate drug use, the circumstances underlying illicit drug use, and youths' reasons for not using drugs.

The author has examined the social factors associated with drug use. It is concluded that drug abuse reflects manifold factors in the larger society and cannot be seen solely as a problem of youth. As a consequence, drug abuse prevention and control measures that only address a youthful audience are likely to be ineffective. Although changing patterns of drug use can be observed among Thai youths, the nature of these changes and the direction of trends do not suggest that drug abuse per se is likely to diminish.