Yaba literally means “crazy medicine” in Thai. It used to be called Yama, literally “horse drug”. Sometimes it is called "bikers' coffee" and "kamikaze". Whatever they are called they are tablets containing a potent and highly addictive mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. This drug combination has been widely used illicitly, especially in Southeast Asian nations.
I have photographed Yaba related issues all over Thailand. But by far the majority of that coverage has been in the country’s far south where Yaba use is widespread. It is especially popular with the youth and the urban middle class. Yaba is now the main form of methamphetamine abused in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam and Myanmar, where it is typically manufactured.