Thailand's recent frenzied 'War on Drugs' has not only received heavy criticism for indiscriminate killings but also it's ineffectiveness in weaning young teens away from drugs. The government has blamed drug dealers but a recent research study by the Child Watch programme points it's finger at the state for having failed to provide teenagers with sufficient avenues to express themselves creatively and constructively. The programme, which is supported by the Thailand Research Fund looked at recreational outlets for youths and the pattern of their behaviour in 12 provinces across the country. The findings were eye-opening. The research found that for every 1 recreational outlet (such as parts or sports grounds) in a province, children had access to 10 sex-related entertainment places (such as bars, pubs, karaoke places, massage parlours and brothels). In Phuket alone, 574 entertainment venues adorn the 543sqkm of the island, or there is one bar for every square kilometer or 455 residents. The research also notes that age limits at all of these places is a farce, rarely enforced. Apart from lack of infrastructural avenues available to children, the research also notes the growing consumerist mindset evolving among teenagers as being responsible children's attraction towards drugs. The only message that teenagers receive these days, from all forms of media, is the need to be rich and look good, there is little that moral anchors such as religion or family can do to keep children away from such temptations unless helped by the state. Recognising that teenage is the most fragile period in a child's life when he/she is in the process of developing their identity and self-esteem at the same time seeking independence, the research mentions that there is a need to provide children with avenues to explore and experiment so that they become willing to tread alternative paths. This research for the first time has pointed it's fingers at policy makers for not having done enough to stop children from getting involved in drugs. The War on Drugs may be a futile investment unless these new findings are considered seriously and worked upon. [Sanitsuda Ekachai, Bangkok Post]