BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s health promotion agency declared youth drug use a crisis after data showed widespread access to cannabis, kratom and methamphetamine among juvenile offenders.
Alarm level at ThaiHealth
The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) assessed that youth drug use had reached a “crisis stage” because various intoxicants appeared increasingly easy to obtain in everyday life.
Rungarun Limlahaphan, director for major risk factor control at ThaiHealth, called for swift action and pointed to limited resources in the public health system.
Figures from juvenile justice
Data from the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department showed that of 13,631 young people prosecuted for offences in 2024, 8,971 had a history of drug use.
According to the assessment, drug consumption was therefore no longer a marginal issue, but a factor already present in a large share of juvenile cases.
Younger users, earlier in school
According to Limlahaphan, many affected juveniles were still in lower secondary school, followed by primary school, vocational school and upper secondary school.
Analysts viewed the declining age threshold as particularly alarming, as children as young as 11 were found among those using drugs.
Deregulation and new mixing trends
In an analysis by ThaiHealth and Rocket Media Lab, methamphetamine remained the most commonly used substance, but cannabis and kratom had risen significantly since decriminalisation.
Of the 8,971 juveniles with a substance-use history, 3,240 used cannabis in 2024 and 1,579 used kratom, while analysts observed more youths mixing harmful chemicals under the mistaken belief that this would “intensify” the high.
Online trade – platform X as a shop window
The authors identified online markets as a central sales channel, with platform X accounting for 68% of drug-related posts in the study.
To evade detection, dealers reportedly used emojis to obscure drug names and trick monitoring systems.
Use shifts into private spaces
In parallel, the locations of consumption appeared to shift away from public areas toward private retreats.
Analysts cited rooms, pool villas and resorts as typical sites, as young people were believed to feel better protected there from arrest.
Treatment at the limit – 260,000 seeking help
For 2025, the number of people seeking treatment was estimated at 260,000, a figure the participants said clearly exceeded the capacity of the public health system.
Satichai Arpornsiri, managing editor of Rocket Media Lab, also pointed to a shortage of addiction psychiatrists and called for broad-based involvement.
“All sectors must act so that young people can return to society as healthy, capable members.”
said Satichai Arpornsiri, managing editor of Rocket Media Lab.