Many young people in Mudon Township of Mon State are turning to drugs these days as a form of entertainment, according to a local health department officer.  The drugs are easily available at various restaurants and teashops and many youth from Kalot Sot, Kamar Wet, Yong Dong and Hnee Padaw are rapidly becoming addicted to drugs.
 
Although the SPDC authorities know about drug abuse in the community, very little is done to address the problem in Mon State, no action has yet been taken and people, who have a close relationship with the SPDC avoid prosecution and continue to sell drugs publicly.
 
A Mon splinter group from the cease-fire group is involved in a drug trafficking racket, which regularly sells Yaba tablets as if it were candy.  The group has set up their office in Moulmein and launched gambling dens in Mon State and Karen State.
 
“During the Songkrant New Year festival, many young people used drugs for recreational pleasure and they could buy them easily from various groups.  The price of one pill ranges from Kyat 3000 to 6000,” a community leader from Kalot Sot Mon village said.
 
Many young people are ill-informed and gullible about the continued use of Yaba and believe they can escape from its harmful side-effects and instead of studying Buddhism have turned to Yaba to give them a sense of well-being. As a result crime has increased to pay for the drugs, with villagers no longer leaving their valuables out in the open like they used to in the past.  “There are many petty crimes in the village now,” local community leader, Nai Lawee, said.
 
According to the health officer, many people addicted to Yaba suffer from paranoia, insomnia, and poor nutrition. Other harmful effects, include high blood pressure, increased heart rate, damage to the blood vessels in the brain that can lead to stroke and other deadly diseases. Yaba, which means crazy medicine in Thai, is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine.