Advanced production technology is one of the key factors making methamphetamine and crystal meth cheap and abundant these days, according to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkol said with an extremely fast hydraulic press, up to 288,000 meth tablets could be produced per hour, compared with the 2,700 tablets of past models.
"That is more than 100 times previous output," he said, responding to media reports about the rock bottom prices of street-bought methamphetamine found in recent crackdowns.
Another factor is legal loopholes in the control of a chemical used as a key ingredient in meth production. Due to the heavy curbs on pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in producing meth and crystal meth, sodium cyanide, a poisonous compound used widely in mining and pesticide manufacturing is now being used instead, he said.
"Well over 1,000 tonnes of sodium cyanide have been imported legally into Thailand so far this year, with an estimated 819 tonnes of that going on to supply drug-making ethnic minority groups in a neighbouring country (Myanmar)," he said.
As 1 kilogramme of sodium cyanide, costing less than 100 baht now, can be turned into 22,000 tablets of meth or 0.5kg of crystal meth, those 810 tonnes of sodium cyanide could turn to 16.1 billion baht's worth of tablets of meth, he said.
Another factor is social media which has also played a role in facilitating sales of illicit drugs, he said.
Unlike in the past when smuggling 1kg of meth, or about 10,000 tablets, cost around 30,000 baht, now 1kg of meth could be sent by post for only 80 baht to a buyer after a deal was sealed over social media and the payment made online, he said.
The convenience in drug dealing in the social media era has driven up the number of dealers while the demand for the drug has not grown much, he said.