Issues with the Overuse of Terms Like Mayak Gimbap and Mayak Tteokbokki
Recently, concerns have been raised that teenagers are being indiscriminately exposed to drug crimes as access to drug transactions has become easier.
According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the People Power Party, on the 23rd, out of 12,387 drug offenders arrested last year, 294 (2.4%) were teenagers. This figure has nearly tripled compared to 2018, when 104 out of 8,107 offenders (1.3%) were teenagers. Moreover, during the same period, the total number of drug offenders increased by 1.5 times, making the increase among teenagers even more significant.
Recently, it has become easy to find posts online that guide sales routes when searching for various slang terms referring to drugs. Additionally, drugs can be easily purchased through the dark web and Telegram, increasing the risk of exposure for teenagers.
Cho Seong-nam, director of the National Forensic Hospital under the Ministry of Justice, said, “In the past, you had to meet people in person to obtain drugs, but now you can easily get them at low prices through the internet and social media.”
In fact, on the 6th of last month in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, a middle school student, A (14), took methamphetamine with two classmates after purchasing it through Telegram. It was found that A transferred money through a Telegram invitation link sent by the seller after searching out of curiosity on the internet and received a single dose of methamphetamine using the ‘throwing’ method.
In response, the National Police Agency announced a bid last month for the production of “Youth Drug Crime Prevention Educational Materials.” The project budget is 73 million won. The police explained the background for this initiative, stating, “There is a lack of standardized lecture materials for youth drug crime prevention and materials for School Police Officers (SPOs).”
Meanwhile, there are also concerns about the misuse of the term “mayak” (meaning “drug") in food names or business names, such as Mayak Gimbap and Mayak Tteokbokki. It is argued that this could cause young people to take drugs lightly.
Director Cho stated, “Frequently encountering advertisements using drugs can break down the vigilance against drugs and make people more inclined to approach actual drugs, which is very dangerous.”
Recently, coffee containing “hemp seed” (seeds of Cannabis sativa), known as a superfood (health food), has been sold as “hemp coffee,” and coffee shops have even appeared with signs depicting marijuana leaves. The amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a hallucinogenic component, varies depending on the cannabis species. Species with high THC content of 6?20% are classified as marijuana, a drug, while those with less than 0.3% THC are called “hemp.”
Park Young-deok, director of the Addiction Rehabilitation Center at the Drug Eradication Movement Headquarters, said, “In Korea, many people keep large quantities of over-the-counter medicines at home without knowing what they are,” adding, “From a young age, education on pharmaceutical knowledge and drug addiction is necessary, along with basic education on carrying one’s own cup at gatherings and parties.”
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