BANGKOK -- How can drugs be explained in a way that informs but does not preach? Is it possible for educators to get beyond the knee-jerk response that stigmatizes drugs and drug consumers and presents the bare facts? What are the facts?
The Hall of Opium in Chiang Rai, Thailand, due to open late next year, tackles the drug issue in a novel, counter-intuitive way that will be an eye-opener for many people. Set in the mythic Golden Triangle, on a hillside near the bend in the Mekong River where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand come together, the Hall of Opium aims to "hook" some of the million Thai and foreign tourists who trek to Chiang Rai, the northernmost province in Thailand, every year just to say they've "been to" the Golden Triangle.
If the facility delivers on its promise, the visitor will enter with one image in mind -- the exotic, murky Golden Triangle of lore -- and exit with another. The picture is still not a pretty one, but removing the stigma at least opens the door to practical solutions.