It is not an exaggeration to say that Korea, which was called a drug-cleaning country until seven years ago, is now a "drug republic" that produces teenage drug offenders, so the youth drug crime rate in Korea is serious.
According to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's "White Paper on Drug Crimes," the number of teenage drug offenders sent to the prosecution recorded 450 as of last year (2021). This is 11 times higher than 10 years ago (2011). The reason why teenage drug offenders account for a small proportion (2.8%) of all drug offenders is that drugs are representative male and female crimes that cannot be counted as statistics because they are not recognized by investigative agencies or are difficult to identify suspects. In addition, because of the nature of drug crimes, criminals can be both perpetrators and victims at the same time, the rate of accusation or voluntary reporting is extremely low, so experts expect that the number of juvenile drug offenders who have not yet been sent will exceed 10,000.
Investigators, including the prosecution and police, pointed out the absence of a preventive education system as the reason for the rapid increase in the youth drug crime rate. Especially in the case of adolescents, most of them do not have accurate knowledge of drugs. Even in the case of students caught using pantanyl patches last year, teenagers' perception of drug risk is extremely low, as most of them stated, "I didn't know that the pantanyl patch was a drug, and I just knew it was a medicine that made me feel better."
I think the most important thing to do to solve the drug and drug problems is to let people know the seriousness of drug addiction and to have an interest in drug abuse in Korea. I think everyone should do their best in their respective positions as this is not done only by one person's efforts. Pharmacist teachers have done well so far, but I think they should use their professional knowledge to focus more on drug prevention education and drug abuse education using various media and methods. If you use the online lecture format in the COVID-19 situation, I think you will be able to deliver a message to more people without restrictions on space. Also, as Korea is no longer a drug-free country, I think it is important for people to keep in mind that the problem of narcotics and drug misuse is no longer irrelevant to me, but something that can happen to my family and surroundings. Everyone should remember that drug abuse and drug-related crimes never disappeared just because they were invisible immediately, but rather because there were problems in places that were more difficult to solve.
Just as there is a saying that if you use anything well, it will be a poison if you don't use it, I hope that all drugs, including narcotic painkillers, will be used only for those who need them at an appropriate dose.
Writer: Soyun Lee
