Reasons for the Study of Drug Use In Korea

A Catholic University professor in the Department of Social Welfare and Addiction gives readers in the Diagnosis of the Times column his opinion that it's time to study drug use in Korean society.

There have been many articles about drugs lately. He doesn't think he has ever seen drug-related articles as often as these days. The news that a famous celebrity who played a leading role in a popular movie took various types of drugs surprised and disappointed many.

Articles about drug use by ordinary people and celebrities often appear in the media. A seven-car collision caused by a drugged driver driving in a hallucinatory state was a terrible accident you would only expect in a movie. It was difficult to believe it had occurred in Korea.

Another article reported the use of drugs by teenagers in an area where academies were located and also the threatening of parents. Another article mentions a mother reporting drug selling and use among middle school children.

According to data from the Prosecutor’s Office, teenage drug offenders increased about 4 times in 5 years from 119 in 2017 to 481 in 2022. 

Drug use causes enormous socio-economic loss to the individual who uses drugs and to our society. Therefore, it is time to recognize the seriousness of the drug problem and come up with effective measures to prevent the spread of drugs.  The government is also aware of the increase in drug use and is preparing various countermeasures, but it does not seem to focus mainly on cracking down on drug smuggling and strengthening punishment for drug offenders and preparing policies based on an accurate understanding of drug use.

In fact, there has never been a nationwide survey of drug users in the country. We are still at the level of estimating the number of drug users based on the number of drug sellers detected. For example, with 18,395 drug offenders arrested in 2022, one can surmise that 10 times or 30 times these numbers would be those selling drugs.

To come up with a proper policy, an accurate understanding of the actual situation should be prioritized. It is self-evident that policies can be effective when the size of the drug user population, the characteristics of those who have experienced drug use, the types of drugs commonly used, and the purchase route are properly identified and policies are prepared accordingly.

In the United States, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health has been conducted annually since 1971. This survey includes not only alcohol and tobacco, but also other drugs, and about 70,000 people aged 12 and over participate in the survey. The survey provides up-to-date information on drug use in the US population, and agencies and researchers use the findings to develop prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs. In Japan, since 1995, a nationwide survey of drug use has been conducted targeting adults.

These countries have more serious drug problems than Korea, so they conducted fact-finding surveys on drug use early on. It is necessary to design and conduct a nationwide survey by referring to the experiences of these countries. This is to accurately determine the actual state of drug use in Korea.  Adding drug-related items to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Mental Health Survey, and Adolescent Health Behavior Survey would be an effective method.

In particular, in a survey of adolescents who have yet to experience drug use, it is necessary to identify attitudes toward drug use, protection, and risk factors related to drug use in addition to what was experienced. It is hoped that a fact-finding survey targeting representative samples will be conducted as soon as possible to accurately diagnose the actual state of drug use in Korea. Based on the results, effective drug prevention education and drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation policies will hopefully begin to appear.