Drug Abuse

NARCOTICS PERVADE ALL SECTORS OF SOCIETY

Rampant abuse of narcotics is pervading all sectors of our society.
What is worrisome is the fact that new narcotics, unheard of here
before, are easily finding their way into the country in accordance
with the growing internationalization of drug trafficking. Another
terrifying fact is that they are no longer bought and sold secretly
in drinking houses or on the black market among habitual users. They
are openly marketed through Internet sites under the cover of being
sleeping pills or health food.

According to a police announcement last week, the number of people
arrested for using or trafficking drugs last year was 4,985, a
whopping 22 percent rise over that of the previous year. A variety of
drugs being sold through Internet sites are delivered immediately to
anyone who pays, the police said. However, the police said, it is
extremely difficult to track the dealers because they close their
sites after a few deals and open new ones.

Methamphetamine, philopon or other stimulants used to be the drugs
that were most widely abused here, but a growing number of new drugs
of various forms are becoming widely available. Some of them can be
easily manufactured in homes and hotels, according to police.
Moreover, a lot of foreign and Korean tourists are smuggling
narcotics into Korea passing undetected through strict airport
inspections. The range of drug users, once limited to those in the
entertainment industry, is rapidly expanding to ordinary people
including salaried persons, housewives, farmers and even high-school students.

Drug abuse is so common that people tend to overlook the seriousness
of drug-related crimes because discoveries and confiscation of banned
drugs are now a regular occurrence. This issue deserves the utmost
attention from the public as rampant drug abuse, if left unchecked,
could threaten society's very existence. As is the case in foreign
countries, the most heinous crimes are often associated with drug
use. No one can feel secure in a society where the use of narcotics
is rampant.

The police estimate that the number of habitual drug abusers might
have reached 300,000 to 1 million here. However, the seriousness of
the situation lies in the fact that known cases are only the tip of
the iceberg. The actual number of narcotic abusers and the amount of
drugs in circulation are far higher than we can imagine. Making
matters worse, drug trafficking networks are becoming globalized in
step with borderless commodity transactions. Smuggling methods are
also becoming sophisticated.

Cooperative relationships among neighboring nations should be
strengthened to combat drug users and traffickers. Drug abuse is said
to be widespread in an 'unsettled period' like the aftermath of a
war or in times of economic difficulties. The recent drug boom may
thus have been fueled by lingering economic hardships. An education
program is necessary to explain to people the terrifying effects of
drugs. Those who become addicted are faced with physical and mental ruin.

The drug situation here has reached a crisis level and the government
must take appropriate measures if we are to get a handle on this
problem before it is too late.