Thailand’s narcotics law to be amended

Coming to the opinion that Thailand has too many narcotics laws related to punishing offenders, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) will meet later this week to consider options for revising punishment so that it could become more realistic, ONCB Secretary-General Permpong Chaovalit said today.

The plan to amend the law is in line with the policy of Justice Minister Gen Paiboon Koomchaya whom Mr Permpong said believed there are too many laws related to narcotics punishment and they are not practical.

Between 60-70 per cent of arrested drug offenders possess less than 50 pills, he said. suggesting that the current terms of imprisonment for them are not the right way to solveg the problem and it also causes overcrowding at prisons.

Mr Permpong said imprisonment terms must be revised and made more lenient.

For instance, the imprisonment term for drug smugglers across the border must be a heavy 10-20 years, even though some smugglers were found with only 12 pills in their possession.

Mr Permpong said he believed a revised law is expected to be ready within this month as several local and foreign organisations including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are closely monitoring Thailand’s laws related to narcotics.

He emphasised that the plan to revise the law is not meant to solve prison overcrowding, but to help offenders change their habits. (MCOT online news)

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