Drug policy in South Korea

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Example of a temple what is an important part to the country

In the Korean context, a re-evaluation for listed drugs is a practical policy instrument that can make a major contribution to the rationalization of drug spending. In addition, the impact would be significant as it would affect the list and prices of new drugs, as the listed drugs could become the comparators for new drugs in the economic evaluation. Furthermore, in South Korea, "People don't know the effects of cannabis, because they have never experienced it." There is an enormous stigma surrounding drugs. This has to do with the cultural context of South Korea. The country is enormously influenced by the consequences of the opium war between Great Britain and China. Since then, there has been a huge taboo on all kinds of drugs in Korea.[1]

Definition of drugs

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Drugs are chemicals that stimulate a person in the brain, physical and mentally. People use drugs for pleasure, it's a stimulant to feel better or to get into a trance. Some drugs come from plants, like cannabises and weed. However, some drugs are created, which means made in the laboratorium, like cocaine, ecstasy , MDMA and more. Drugs have different effects, some can be relaxing or harmful, or both, it depends on how much a person took; relaxing, narcotic like heroin and other opiates but also alcohol and sleeping pills. These drugs give the feeling of being more alert or having more energy like cocaine and amphetamine but also tobacco and coffee. Change of perception: the user sees and experiences the world differently. For example: LSD, has and weed, mushrooms and other trapping drugs. Some drugs such as hash and weed and XTC have multiple effects. Furthermore, a psychoactive drug is a drug what influence the person's mental health, like the mood, perception, cognition, and behavior.[2]

New Anti-rebate legislation

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Seven years ago, in 2013, the government of South Korea had announced to reform in the drug anti-rebate law. In this way, pharmaceutical marketing could not rebate their practices. The main purpose of this law is to have the ability to bring criminal charges against doctors and pharmacists, who are receiving illegal drugs.[3]

Previously, the provision of illegal income by pharmaceutical companies led only to judicial penalties, leaving doctors and pharmacists unpunished as recipients. Hereby, with the new law, it reforms criminal punishment for illegal rebates is extended to those receiving illegal kickbacks.[4]

 
Example of male and female protesting against the new laws

Gender differences

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Gender differences are generally rather small. According to the ESPAD report (Hibell et al. 2009) it shows that the male to female ratio is quite smaller for cannabis use and tie for any other illicit drug use. Nevertheless, significantly higher proportions of males and females report illicit drug use in developing countries such as South Africa. The study from (Perkonigg et al. 1998) found that in various countries, like South Korea, approximately twice as many adult men as women reported illicit drug use.

Drug abuse

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Number of drug addicts over the past five years.

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Starting from 2013, the numbers of drug abuse has become increasingly high. Not only people who are using drugs, but also drug addicts. In 2013 the article from KoreaBioMed, has shown that drug addicts reaching 15.000 a year and 77.000 people received treatment over the last five years. Hereby, the number of patients with drug addiction problem has risen with the need for a new measure to controle the problem.[5]

However, there are still drug crimes in South Korea. The majority of drug-related crimes are mostly in Gangnam and Yongsan districts. Drugs are usually distributed through clubs, in Gangnam, foreign students and club operators tend to be involved in drug trafficking, which is a easy way to make money. The most common drug that is used and selled is 'Crystal Meth', this is accountable for most drug-related arrests. Moreover, other drugs known are ecstasy (xtc) and cannabis. These continue to grow in popularity among students. However, methamphetamine remains the drug of choice for Koreans.[6]

Region 2014 2015 2016

2017


2018 Total Five-year

change rate

Seoul 2775 2404 2616 2406 3154 13355 13.7
Busan 1232 1065 1067 1070 1274 5708 3.4
Incheon 1078 1040 1134 938 1279 5469 18.6
Daegu 939 828 936 899 960 4562 2.2
Gwangju 330 309 327 347 459 1772 39.1
Daejon 441 502 506 717 793 2959 79.8
Ulsan 365 324 261 235 230 1415 -37.0
Gyeonnggi

Province

4150 3528 3504 3403 3907 18492 -5.9
Gangwon

Province

640 562 511 482 482 2677 -24.7
North Chungcheong

Province

500 435 419 372 314 2040 -37.2
North Jeolla

Province

627 458 398 363 444 2990 -29.2
South Jeolla

Province

584 589 564 493 463 2693 -20.7
North Gyeongsang

Province

991 829 892 803 768 4283 -22.5
South Gyeongsang

Province

933 874 752 680 737 3976 -21.0
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According to the Korean law it is strictly forbidden for Korean citizens who live abroad to use drugs, even though some drugs are legal in the country where they'd live. For example, the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a law which states that using soft drugs, like weed and cannabis are legal to use, but hard drugs like ecstasy, MDMA, and crystal meth are strictly forbidden. Therefore, people are allowed to use softdrugs but the Korean government introduced a new law to forbid every Korean citizen who are living abroad to use drugs. [7] With this law, Koreans are prohibited from smoking weed, even if they are in a country where cannabis use has been legalized or tolerated. Smoking a joint of using a different kind of legal drugs are punishable and could lead to five years in prison, when the citizen is returning to South Korea. Growing, transporting or owning cannabis is also illegal under South Korean law, no matter in which country you are.

"Ciara (24), in South Korea, people don't know the fun side of cannabis, because there is a huge stigma around drugs, I think this has to do with the cultural context of South Korea, and not necessary of the side effects of the drugs." [8]

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South Korea became since 2020, the first country in Asia to make the use of marijuana as a medical use legal. Korea has always been against the use of drugs but however, with this step toward legalizing marijuana for medical use, it might be possible that marijuana will be totally legal at some point in Korea. To do this, CBD (hemp oil or cannabidiol) has to be legalized to proceed the legalization of marijuana. Furthermore, the use of hemp oil or cannabidiol is now legal for medical use. In addition, CBD has no side effects. Test results came forward, and it has shown that there are many benefits to the human body. The drug got tested for neurological and brain diseases. The laws in Korea will stay strict even though CBD is allowed. Hereby is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) still prohibited. Not all cannabis plants are created equal, for example Hemp. It has verily little THC but a large amount of CBD. Scientist are still trying to figure out how CBD could exactly effect the body. [9]

The upcoming CBD market in South Korea

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CBD will be controlled by the Korean government. Therefore, for Korean startups, they can make a plan to start a CBD oil business. This is because if history has anything to say, CBD products will soon be legalized to the public. However, it does not mean that you can bring CBD oils or products in Seoul, it is only available in hospitals, where doctors are treating their patients with it. Korean citizens need to get a letter of approval from their doctor, which states that they are allowed to use CBD of medical issues, due to their health condition. Furthermore, the letter then needs to be taken to the "Korean Orphan Drug Center" for final approval or disapproval. The three main industries that will be looking for CBD to incorporate into their existing products will be:

  • Korean Food Industry: Baked food, candies, drinks, and snacks etc. That corporate with CBD will be able to find a niche audience in the beginning.
  • Vaping Industry
  • K-Beauty Industry: K-Beauty products such as gels, creams, and sprays with CBD will be able to be applied directly to the skin. [10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rap, Alice (2014). "Cannabis: from prohibition to regulation". alicerap.eu.
  2. ^ Kleiman, Mark A. R.; Caulkins, Jonathan P.; Hawken, Angela (2011-07-13). Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know®. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-983028-2.
  3. ^ Kim, Jinhuyn (2011). "Value in Health". Delisting policy reform in South Korea: failed or policy change?.
  4. ^ Lee, Hwayoung (November 24, 2011). "Value in Health". Delisting policy reform in South Korea: failed or policy change?.
  5. ^ ESPAD, The European school survey project on alcohol and other drugs (2015). "Methodology". ESPAD.org.
  6. ^ Lee, Han-Soo (2019-08-19). "Number of drug addicts reached 77.000 in the past 5 years". Koreabiomed.com.
  7. ^ "Bong arm of the law: South Korea says it will arrest citizens who smoke weed in Canada". the Guardian. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  8. ^ Can, Melisa (2018-12-19). "Zuid-Koreanen in Nederland vertellen hoe het is om niet te mogen blowen". Vice (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  9. ^ "A Korean Startup Needs to Capitalize on CBD Oil in Korea". Seoulz. 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  10. ^ "South Korea". Daily CBD - English. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
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Category:Drug policy of South Korea