A 19-year-old female student who passed the entrance exam to study at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Khon Kaen University, but who tested positive for methamphetamine at a district hospital, is still entitled to take the oral test on May 31st.
Assistant Professor Dr. Narin Chansri, dean of the faculty, said in his Facebook post on Sunday that the student has not been disqualified, as inaccurately reported by some media, and can still attend the oral test adding, however, that she can take a second drug test at Srinagarind Hospital in the university.
The student tested positive for methamphetamine at Narong Rong District Hospital, but her mother claimed that the positive result might be due to the effects of the skin whitening supplement her daughter had been taking since April 1st.
Health officials from Buri Ram province and Prakhon Chai district have been dispatched to the pharmacy, where the girl obtained the whitening supplement, to take samples to be sent to the medical sciences centre in Nakhon Ratchasima for tests, to ascertain whether it contains methamphetamine. Urine from the student was also sent for testing, with the results expected within a week.
Somphong Aphiromrak, president of the Community Pharmacy Association (Thailand), told Thai PBS that he hasnever found methamphetamine in whitening products, because the substance does not contain any properties that will whiten the skin.
He observed that the positive test result may be caused by other substances, such as psychotropic drugs, bronchodilators or gastritis medication. A false positive might also be caused by the test kit itself, he added and suggested that the whitening supplement should be retested.
