[Disease Code: Drug Addiction] 18,000 Drug Offenders, Only 700 Receiving Treatment... "Need to Expand Rehabilitation Facilities"

Medical Institutions Also Struggle to Provide Care "Not Many Specialists"
Social Stigma Against Drug Addicts Is Also a Problem

While the number of drug offenders per year is around 18,000, the number of patients receiving addiction treatment is only about 700. Due to the lack of infrastructure for drug addiction treatment and the negative social perception of drug addicts, the formula that "rehabilitation and treatment are necessary for drug addiction" has encountered real-world limitations.

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service on the 1st, the number of patients treated last year with drug addiction disease codes (F11, 12, 14, 16, 40) was 721. Although this is an increase from 619 in 2021, it accounts for only 3.9% compared to the total number of drug offenders last year (18,395). The recidivism rate among all drug offenders that year was recorded at 35.0% (6,436 people).

A significant portion of drug offenders are young adults in their 20s and 30s. Last year, drug offenders in their 20s and 30s numbered 10,507 (57.1%). Teen drug offenders also reached a record high with 481 (2.6%). Professor Lee Yun-ho, Emeritus Professor of Police Administration at Dongguk University, analyzed, "Youth and adolescence are periods of strong impulsivity, intertwined with employment difficulties, economic hardship, and relative deprivation. Access to drugs through SNS has become easier, and prices are trending lower."

Although the need to guide young drug addicts toward healthy social reintegration has increased, there are still not many medical institutions or rehabilitation facilities for drug addiction treatment in Korea. Inpatient and residential treatment, which control situations where drugs can be accessed, are even more difficult. As of December last year, there were 21 specialized drug addiction treatment institutions nationwide, with 314 inpatient beds. The Korea Anti-Drug Movement Headquarters, a foundation under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, has opened three addiction rehabilitation centers (in Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon) to date. Next year, including these, 17 centers are planned to open.

Medical institutions are struggling to treat drug addicts. A representative from a hospital designated as a specialized treatment institution said, "Currently, there are no specialists handling narcotics, so inpatient treatment is impossible," adding, "Although the framework has shifted from treating drugs solely as a crime to treatment and rehabilitation, medical staff are not adequately prepared." Another medical institution staff member said, "Although designated as a specialized drug institution, the last treatment was in 2017. Many cases were treated upon referral from investigative agencies, and at that time, related programs were studied and treatment was conducted, but now the scale has shrunk and conditions are unfavorable."

Negative perceptions of drug addicts are also a burden in establishing rehabilitation and treatment facilities. The private rehabilitation facility Gyeonggi-do DARC, a drug addiction treatment community, recently relocated from Namyangju City to Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province. Gyeonggi-do DARC has provided housing and treatment programs for those trying to quit drugs. However, in June, Namyangju City reported the facility to the police for operating without notification, and on August 31, it was evicted through administrative action. Complaints from local residents requesting to block the facility's operation also influenced this. As a result, some residents left during the relocation to Yangju City. Im Sang-hyun, director of Gyeonggi-do DARC, said, "Since the goal is for the participants to complete the program and contribute as members of society, we relocated without further dispute," adding, "Our facility is a place for addicts to recover through training, not a harmful facility."

Experts say that to solve drug addiction, it is necessary to expand systematic rehabilitation education and medical facilities. Professor Lee emphasized that addiction treatment cannot be resolved with just one education or treatment session. He said, "Some drug users do not recognize the side effects and lack the will to quit, so more inpatient facilities for addiction treatment are needed," adding, "It is difficult to select sites for rehabilitation facilities due to resident opposition and stigma as undesirable facilities, but in such cases, society should bear the responsibility rather than shifting it to the private sector." Jeon Kyung-soo, president of the Korean Society of Drug Crime Studies, said, "There are cases where people do not report due to various reasons such as family breakdown pain, physical and mental suffering, fear of legal punishment, and retaliation from dealers," and added, "There is a need to create rehabilitation education institutions that integrate pharmacy, psychiatry, and law." Professor Yoon Heung-hee of Hansung University’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Studies suggested, "When drug offenders finish their sentences, providing 1 to 2 years of rehabilitation, treatment, and education at educational institutions, while preventing contact with other offenders or users, could also have a recidivism prevention effect."