PHUKET: The police crackdown on the indigenous plant
kratom, a mild narcotic, is taking its toll, with youngsters now reportedly turning to
longkong leaves in order to make a new version of the long-known drug cocktail “4x100”.
The new recipe using
longkong leaves even sports a new, improved nickname: “8x100”.
“Kratom leaves are the main ingredient of the original “4x100” cocktail,” Ranong Provincial Police Deputy Commander Suthep Kasetthong warned over the weekend.
“Because police have cracked down on the trade of
kratom, youths created a cocktail comprising
longkong leaves, cola,
ya bah [methamphetamine], cough syrup, mosquito coils, chemicals from florescent tube lights, tobacco and yogurt,” he said.
Although 8x100 first appeared in drug raids in 2009 (
story here), it was now experiencing a new wave of popularity among young drug-takers, Lt Col Suthep said.
“The 8x100 cocktail is now gaining popularity again in the southern provinces of Ranong, Chumphon and Surat Thani,” he stated.
“This new stronger drink is very dangerous. We have to add tougher measures to crack down on this new drug,” he said.
