| la_porte15:04 UTC28 Jan 2007 | I was just wondering if anyone out there knows exactly what the drug "yabba" is. Late one night I met a young girl who was extremely thin and had several nervous ticks. The Thai person I was chatting with told me me that she was addicted to "yabba" and tried to explainwhat it was, but it was difficult for him to do in English and I didn't get the gist. Now I am bit curious. Is it a big thing in Thailand.
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| futureexpat15:18 UTC28 Jan 2007 | Yaba (drug) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Yaba (ÂÒºéÒ; also Ya Ba or Ya Baa; "crazy medicine" in Thai) are tablets containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. Quality varies according to source, most are manufactured for oral administration or 'chasing' on foil, there is a brand preferred for injecting from Laos. This illegal drug is especially popular in Thailand, where it is imported from neighboring Myanmar, as well as Laos and Cambodia. In recent years it has also been used by immigrant populations in the United States, and occasionally as a club drug replacing ecstasy.
Yaba tablets were outlawed by the Thai government in 1970; at the time they were sold at gas stations and used by Thai truckers to keep awake. After many horrific long distance bus accidents, and deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's campaign from 2003 onwards to eliminate drug trafficking, use of the drug for bus drivers is not as widespread as it was. Retail prices have risen from 100 - 150bt($3-4) to 250-450bt as a result of the crackdown, though it remains a popular party drug.
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| emperor_tud17:12 UTC28 Jan 2007 | <blockquote>Quote <hr>Retail prices have risen from 100 - 150bt($3-4) to 250-450bt as a result of the crackdown, though it remains a popular party drug.<hr></blockquote> Aye right. Yaabaa pills were only 10/20 Baht each before the crackdown and the price only increased very slightly, maybe to 40/50 Baht per pill in some communities, but only for a short while after the former PM condoned the extra-judicial killing of people in the name of the 'war on drugs'.
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| genghis1518:17 UTC28 Jan 2007 | In the Philippines they have shabu, which I think is much the same thing. My impression was that it is usually smoked.
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| mibro02:40 UTC29 Jan 2007 | Crazy drug, or speed. Favorite of too many taxi drivers. Derrived from cold medicines, Sudephed, in it's original formulation, which is still available over the counter in Thailand. Can induce tachycardia.
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| aaronzig03:29 UTC29 Jan 2007 | Yeah, made from psuedoephidrine or ephidrine, it's pretty horrible stuff apparently. Worse than Ice (and ice is bad enough) because it's not as clean, because it's made on the cheap. I met some Thai people who were into it when I was in Bangkok, and according to them, the name "Yabba" is a reference to death in S.E Asia. How true this is, Im not sure, but by the state of them (thin, pale etc) it sounded about right.
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| losing_touch09:17 UTC29 Jan 2007 | Ahhh - it is just speed. Only costs $1 in Laos. It can be pretty bad for those with addictive personalities.
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| dbrother22:00 UTC20 May 2007 | if its smokable then it is ICE, ie 'crystal methamphetamine' not just! normal powder methamphetamine, very very very bad stuff and makes people capable of doing bad things when they havent slept for a couple of days and they're coming down cos the dopamines have run out in their brain and their soul has gone for a walk
ie. Bad Things... The bloke in west australia who killed his brother cos he was sick of him coughing all the time (coming down at the time) and the two 16 year old girls who decided to kill a 3rd girl more or less for something to do in Collie (also WA) last year after spending the previous night on ICE
Kinda scary what would be the headset of some strungout amphetamine addicted thai girl who just been pounded merclessly all night by some western tourist now sleeping beside her with a wallet full of cash ready to take if only he wouldn't wake up
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| dbrother22:07 UTC20 May 2007 | P.S as addictive as Crack Cocaine, which is more addictive than nicotine and way more addictive than heroin, the reason being that it floods the brain with dopamine which is what basically keeps one happy most of the time, once used over a period of time the brain decides it doesn't need to produce its own dopamine any more seeing as though the ice/yaba/speed is doing the job instead, therefore leading to the inability of an habitual user to be happy/motivated unless actually taking the stuff.... it also has a number of negative side effects....
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| martindenny23:05 UTC20 May 2007 | <blockquote>Quote <hr>the name "Yabba" is a reference to death in S.E Asia. How true this is, Im not sure<hr></blockquote>
in Cambodia, the drug is known as "yama" and Yama is the Hindu god of death.
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| ped_yai01:18 UTC21 May 2007 | The <blockquote>Quote <hr>a young girl who was extremely thin and had several nervous ticks.<hr></blockquote>
Typical signs of a meth-head. I see a few here everyday in San Francisco, at the edge of the Tenderloin district. I think the person you saw was probably smoking it, or shooting it, because I'm not sure that just swallowing the pills will do this to you.
The original name for the drug, back before the mid 90s, was Ya Ma - Horse Medicine - nothing to do with any Hindu god.
Ya means any medicine. Tiger Balm is a brand of Ya Mong. The "five pagodas" stuff is "Ya Hom". Injecting medicine [shooting up] is "cheet ya".
Anyone who's been in Thailand any length of time has seen the sign in front of the pharmacy with green letters that says KAYYA - "sell medicine - spelled as one word.
Kayya
In the mid to late 90s the government started a campaign that sought to eradicate Ya Ma, at which time they changed the name to Ya Ba -- crazy drug. It is two words, not "yabba" like the Flinstones.
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| dearsirsam02:17 UTC21 May 2007 | I've seen people "speedboat" ya ba...some whole routine with folding the foil from a cigarette wrapper into a little boat shape, putting a crunched up pill in it, heating it up from underneath with a lighter, and then inhaling the smoke via a water pipe of sorts. Not a pretty drug, I've seen too many people hit hard by it.
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| girllrig08:33 UTC21 May 2007 | Here is some more info on Yaba
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| coraldiver110:38 UTC21 May 2007 | One man on ice cut off his balls. Do you really want to try a stupid drug that makes people crazy?
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| sjaak32713:42 UTC21 May 2007 | "It's got to be on par with sniffing glue if you ask me."
Except for the punishment if caught. Make no mistake, we are talking about a real drug here. Part of it´s success is that you can stay awake for a pretty long time.
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| ribblerat17:16 UTC21 May 2007 | I could never unddrstand why people take a Drug that keeps you awake for days, totaly beyond me, i mean if i cant swing back and forth in hamock with it whats the point...
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| wanderingstraycat22:53 UTC21 May 2007 | later on there was an attempt to change the name from ya ba to ya ngoh (ngoh = stupid), supposedly to make taking it seem less 'cool' to youths...
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| benchong23:07 UTC21 May 2007 | I used some reddy brown pills called 'truckers' at full moon parties about 12-14 years ago.
Are these pills yaba???
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