Ya ba

Ya ba (, , literally 'crazy medicine') is a drug containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. It was formerly known as yama (; literally 'horse drug'), and now goes by a variety of names, including "bikers' coffee" and "kamikaze". Although it is illegal, it has considerable use in Southeast Asia.

It is also known as "baba, guti, bedona, ishtup, apple, patthor, dana, poke, bichi, aeroplane, ghora and kalojori."

Names
The drug has gone by various names across time and locations.

In Thailand, it went by ya khayan ('hard-working pill'), then as ya maa ('horse medicine'), and then ya ba ('crazy pill') in 1996. According to an episode of the television series Drugs, Inc., it is commonly referred to in north Thailand as chocalee, due to its alleged sweet taste and chocolatey smell. In Myanmar (formerly Burma), it is also called kyethi (literally, 'button'), athi, and palarkar. In Malaysia it is known as pil kuda (literally, 'horse pill'). The name commonly used for it in the Philippines and Indonesia is shabú. The name commonly used for it in China is ma-goo or ma-guo. In Bangladesh, it is colloquially known as baba, guti, laal, khawon, ‘jinish ’, stuff or maal. Ya ba is sometimes called bhul bhuliya in India.

According to the US National Drug Intelligence Center, the drug is most commonly referred to in the US as "crazy medicine" and "Nazi speed".

Description and effects

Ya ba is typically produced in a round pill form. There are many different versions of ya ba, and the most common are red, pink, orange, or lime green in color and carry logos such as "R" or "WY". They are small and round, roughly  in diameter, which means they can be packed inside a plastic soda straw for easy transportation or in a reusable "mint" container.

Ya ba tablets typically are consumed orally and are sometimes flavored like confectionery. Another method of consumption is chasing the dragon, wherein the ya ba tablet is placed on aluminium foil and heated from below, which produces vapors that are then inhaled. The drug also may be administered by crushing the tablets into powder, which is then snorted or mixed with a solvent and injected.

When swallowed in pill form the duration of the drug's effect is 8–16 hours, as compared to 1–3 hours when smoked, while the intensity is considerably reduced. The peak of the drug's effect is followed by a comedown period lasting 6–10 hours, during which the user may have difficulty sleeping or eating. Many users report that it takes them up to 24 hours after consumption to be able to fall asleep.

Typical ya ba users are working males, aged 16–40 years old. Its use is also not uncommon among both female and male sex workers in Thailand and Cambodia.

Production
Myanmar is the largest producer of methamphetamine in the world, with the majority of ya ba found in Thailand being produced in Burma, particularly in the Golden Triangle and northeastern Shan State, which borders Thailand, Laos, and China. In 2010, Burma trafficked 1 billion tablets to neighbouring Thailand. Ethnic militias and rebel groups (in particular the United Wa State Army) are responsible for much of this production; however, the Burmese military units are believed to be heavily involved in the trafficking of the drugs.

Global usage

Rise and fall in popularity in Thailand
Ya ba tablets were formerly sold legally at fuel stations and used by long-haul drivers to stay awake. The drug was outlawed by the Thai government in 1970.

Law enforcement officials said that as of 2002, most of the drug was produced by the United Wa State Army in Myanmar. It was smuggled from Myanmar across the porous border into Thailand. In 2014, it was reported that Thailand's northeast provinces have seen a 700% increase in the number of people arrested for meth since 2008, according to data from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau. In 2013, authorities counted more than 33,000 meth-related arrests in the northeast. The rapid growth of ya ba use in Isan mirrors that which occurred across Asia, which by 2014 accounted for more than 50 percent of global amphetamine-type stimulant users.

On 16 June 2016, the National Council for Peace and Order, the military junta ruling Thailand, stated that it was planning to decriminalise ya ba.

Bangladesh
In 2006, ya ba consumption became common for the poor. Although the extent of ya ba abuse in Bangladesh is not precisely known, seizures of the drug by authorities are frequent. It is also believed those who use it on a regular basis are frequently involved in the distribution of the drug, either directly or indirectly.

Some Burmese Rohingya refugees are hired by drug dealers to smuggle ya ba from Myanmar into Bangladesh. In 2016, 359 Burmese were arrested on ya ba-smuggling charges, and up to US$29 million worth of ya ba was seized by the Bangladeshi authorities.

In October 2018 the Bangladeshi government drafted a law which punishes a person who carries a minimum  of ya ba with capital punishment.

Other countries
In Malaysia, it is commonly found in the state of Kelantan, on the border with Thailand.

In February 2010 it was reported that increasingly large quantities of ya ba were being smuggled into Israel by Thai migrant workers, leading to fears that its use would spread to the Israeli club scene, where ecstasy use is already common.

In 2003, the US National Drug Intelligence Center described the drug as having emerging popularity in Asian communities in the US, specifically in California. It was also described as an increasingly popular club drug.

References

Further reading 

 
 
 
 

Methamphetamine
Society of Thailand
Drugs in Thailand
Crime in Thailand
Caffeine
Polysubstance combinations