The Interior Ministry plans a drug rehabilitation project that would be modelled on the programme at the well-known addiction treatment centre at Wat Tham Krabok in Saraburi.
Permanent secretary Suttipong Juljarern said the move is in line with the government's focus on suppression, prevention and rehabilitation in its war against drug abuse.
The Department of Provincial Administration has been asked to submit a list of suspected drug dealers and active users from each province, to help authorities identify areas where drug use is particularly rampant.
According to the figures submitted to the ministry, there were at least 18,000 drug dealers active in the country, while the number of users and addicts stood at about 120,000, as of Oct 31.
The information has enabled the ministry to identify 158 locations which could benefit from a local drug rehabilitation facility, he said, stressing the role that local communities play in helping an addict recover and stay on track.
Manrat Rattanasukhon, director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, said that ideally there would be at least one drug rehabilitation facility per district that would offer a 15-day treatment. Ideally, each facility won't accept more than 50 addicts per treatment cycle, he said.
The department would ask the government to set aside a budget for the scheme, he said.
The Interior Ministry is toughening up its policies on drug abuse after the October mass shooting in Nong Bua Lam Phu which claimed 36 lives, 24 of whom were children.
The gunman, a former police officer who killed himself after carrying out the massacre, was known to have had a history of drug abuse. He was expelled from the force in June, after being arrested in January for methamphetamine possession.
Mr Suttipong, who visited Wat Tham Krabok in Saraburi to discuss the temple's drug rehab programme with its abbot, said the ministry wants the centres also to provide vocational training so patients can remain productive during their recovery.
Phra Boonsong Thanajaro, president of Wat Tham Krabok foundation, said the programme should focus on patients' physical and mental well-being.
