More than 7,000 addicts with mental conditions caused by illicit drug use have been identified and will be brought into a rehabilitation and stabilisation programme, according to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
A survey was conducted to determine the number of people needing help, said Pol Lt Gen Phanurat Lakboon, the acting secretary-general of the ONCB.
Those identified in the survey will be admitted for treatment and into rehabilitation facilities, known in Thai as Rakjai centres, before they are referred to mental health institutions, he said on Wednesday.
The Rakjai facilities, located in Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri, Ubon Ratchathani and Kanchanaburi provinces, are jointly operated by the ONCB, the Ministry of Public Health and military personnel who have been trained to work there.
Pol Lt Gen Phanurat said a stabilisation programme will also be provided for those who have been treated but require continued medical care and support so they can focus on their recovery without triggering factors.
It is designed for those whose families or communities are not ready or equipped to provide them with the degree of care they need.
He said the military would discuss where the facilities for the stabilisation programme would be set up. Initially they have been planned in Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Phanom.
The military will provide staff while the Ministry of Public Health will provide training and make sure the facilities meet the required standards, he said after a meeting with representatives of the ministry and the police.
The ONCB will also hold discussions with the Interior, Labour and Social Security and Human Development ministries about occupational training to prepare those being treated for reintegration into society.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said those who are admitted to the Rakjai centres will be there on a voluntary basis, and they will be provided occupational training.