At least 340 tonnes of seized drugs will be burned at the Bangpoo Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan from Tuesday.
The burning will take approximately two weeks.
The drugs, seized during 836,081 cases, were transferred from the Public Health Ministry office to the incineration site on Monday. Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong and Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew led a small ceremony before the transfer.
Dr Cholnan said the 57th drugs burn-up was being organised to create more space in warehouses that were used to keep seized drugs.
It was in response to a policy laid down by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to provide narcotic drug solutions, as both suppression and rehabilitation of addicts were prioritised.
The conflagration also comes under a new policy that allows evidence burning to take place immediately after seizures are certified as narcotics by the authorities, and address the large amount being kept in government warehouses, he said.
The transfer was conducted amid tight security, said Dr Cholnan.
The drugs will be burned at 1,800 degrees Celsius, quickly turning the drugs into carbon and causing no pollution, Dr Cholnan said.
The amount being burned on Tuesday weighs 110 tonnes; 60 of that was was kept by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the rest by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
Burning is expected to take at least two weeks and cost at least nine million baht.
In the next fiscal year the burning of seized drugs is expected to take place on a monthly basis, said Dr Cholnan.
For rehabilitation, Dr Cholnan said the ministry estimates there are at least 1,540,000 drug addicts nationwide. Of those, 500,000 need to undergo rehab in hospitals due to their severe addiction, while the others can undergo community-based rehabilitation, he said.
The premier will set out drug policies for local authorities on Tuesday, aimed at lessening the number of individual dealers while encouraging addicts to seek help to overcome their addiction, said Dr Cholnan.