United Nations News/Daniel Dickinson
Watcharapol Mahaprom has her blood tested at the Ozone Foundation.
Bangkok (Thailand), June 23, 2023 – Watcharapol Mahaprom, who goes by the name Pan, receives medical treatment at a Bangkok clinic run by Ozone, a non-governmental organization supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The organization promotes harm reduction services that focus on the needs of its clients, with the aim of preventing the health and social impacts of drug use.
He spoke United Nations News First International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking It is celebrated every year on June 26th.
“The first time I tried drugs was when I was 21 and someone invited me to take ice in my college dorm. Ice is slang for crystal meth, which can be snorted or injected. That first experience made me feel strange – I couldn't eat or sleep and I didn't know what was happening to my body. I went to the hospital to get tested, but I couldn't tell the doctor I'd taken ice because it's illegal.
I only use ice during sex, but the second time I used it, it was even better. The drug really intensified my emotions and prolonged the pleasure. It made me feel happier and I wanted that sensation more and more.
I started taking it more frequently in 2018, maybe twice a week. I felt so hopeless at the time that I thought I needed it more, but when the medication wore off I felt even sadder. I told my mom, and she supported me, and my friends told me I could call them anytime I was sad.
These days, I only use crystal meth once every three months, and it's usually provided by a sexual partner; it's too expensive for me to buy it myself.
Health issues
![Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone. Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone.](https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/images/2023/06/harm-reduction/harn_2.jpg)
United Nations News/Daniel Dickinson
Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone.
A few years ago, I found out I had Hepatitis C, which is transmitted by sharing needles and the equipment needed to make crystal meth, and that's when I first turned to Ozone for support and treatment.
I felt there was a lot of stigma in the mainstream hospital system when it came to people who were using drugs. I was always asked why I wasn't protecting myself and I felt blamed by medical professionals.
At Ozone, I feel like I am treated more as an individual. Here, I feel cared for on a more personal level and less judged, so I can talk freely and openly about my drug use and behavior in general.
Today, I get my blood tested for Hepatitis C, and I also get tested for HIV regularly, but I'm not as worried about contracting the virus because I'm on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which reduces the chance of contracting HIV through sex or injection drugs.
Injecting ice is fine because of course you use a needle, but I don't like blood tests because the needle gets in the way. I think this is because I rely on the sensation of the medicine so needles don't bother me.
Hope for the future
I am currently 29 and want to be the last in my family to die. I don't want to die before my grandparents or my mother. If not, I will continue to work every day to satisfy my cravings. I have no plans to quit crystal meth because I think I can control my usage every 3 or 4 months.
I love the feeling and I often think about taking it because sometimes life gets boring. My advice to others in a similar situation to me is to love yourself first and do things that make you feel good.
And don’t feel intimidated by the kind of service you can get at Ozone.”
United Nations News/Daniel Dickinson
Watcharapol Mahaprom has her blood tested at the Ozone Foundation.
Bangkok (Thailand), June 23, 2023 – Watcharapol Mahaprom, who goes by the name Pan, receives medical treatment at a Bangkok clinic run by Ozone, a non-governmental organization supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The organization promotes harm reduction services that focus on the needs of its clients, with the aim of preventing the health and social impacts of drug use.
He spoke United Nations News First International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking It is celebrated every year on June 26th.
“The first time I tried drugs was when I was 21 and someone invited me to take ice in my college dorm. Ice is slang for crystal meth, which can be snorted or injected. That first experience made me feel strange – I couldn't eat or sleep and I didn't know what was happening to my body. I went to the hospital to get tested, but I couldn't tell the doctor I'd taken ice because it's illegal.
I only use ice during sex, but the second time I used it, it was even better. The drug really intensified my emotions and prolonged the pleasure. It made me feel happier and I wanted that sensation more and more.
I started taking it more frequently in 2018, maybe twice a week. I felt so hopeless at the time that I thought I needed it more, but when the medication wore off I felt even sadder. I told my mom, and she supported me, and my friends told me I could call them anytime I was sad.
These days, I only use crystal meth once every three months, and it's usually provided by a sexual partner; it's too expensive for me to buy it myself.
Health issues
![Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone. Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone.](https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/images/2023/06/harm-reduction/harn_2.jpg)
United Nations News/Daniel Dickinson
Hepatitis C testing is one of the services available at Ozone.
A few years ago, I found out I had Hepatitis C, which is transmitted by sharing needles and the equipment needed to make crystal meth, and that's when I first turned to Ozone for support and treatment.
I felt there was a lot of stigma in the mainstream hospital system when it came to people who were using drugs. I was always asked why I wasn't protecting myself and I felt blamed by medical professionals.
At Ozone, I feel like I am treated more as an individual. Here, I feel cared for on a more personal level and less judged, so I can talk freely and openly about my drug use and behavior in general.
Today, I get my blood tested for Hepatitis C, and I also get tested for HIV regularly, but I'm not as worried about contracting the virus because I'm on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which reduces the chance of contracting HIV through sex or injection drugs.
Injecting ice is fine because of course you use a needle, but I don't like blood tests because the needle gets in the way. I think this is because I rely on the sensation of the medicine so needles don't bother me.
Hope for the future
I am currently 29 and want to be the last in my family to die. I don't want to die before my grandparents or my mother. If not, I will continue to work every day to satisfy my cravings. I have no plans to quit crystal meth because I think I can control my usage every 3 or 4 months.
I love the feeling and I often think about taking it because sometimes life gets boring. My advice to others in a similar situation to me is to love yourself first and do things that make you feel good.
And don’t feel intimidated by the kind of service you can get at Ozone.”