According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, a total of 379 anonymous drug tests were conducted at public health centers in Seoul in the first half of this year.
Considering that the number of tests was 134 last year, the number has increased sharply this year. Most of the results were negative, but nine positive cases were confirmed over the past year.
The testing initiative aims to encourage people who are concerned that they may have been unknowingly exposed to drugs to access appropriate testing and treatment.
Since the test is conducted by a pharmacy, you do not need to provide any personal information and can take the test by simply answering a simple questionnaire. If you wish to undergo a detailed test or if you test positive, you will be directed to a medical institution.
The reason why many people are interested in such a project is that the threshold for getting drugs has become lower in recent years, and cases of drugs being used for crime are being reported every day.
In a restaurant in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, he gave three university classmates jelly containing marijuana, telling them it would make them feel good, and in May, a woman who had been drinking with him was also arrested.
A group of people who assaulted a victim after forcing him to inhale an e-cigarette containing liquid synthetic marijuana was sentenced to prison. In addition, there have been cases of people coming into contact with drugs unintentionally while traveling abroad and being charged with drug-related offenses.
For this reason, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on the 4th called on overseas travelers to be careful about consuming food and drinks that contain drug ingredients. According to the NIS, in Thailand, non-alcoholic beverages containing marijuana are being sold.
Although liquor is sold, the words "contains marijuana ingredients" are written only in Thai and it is displayed in the same place as soft drinks purchased by children, which raises the risk of children unknowingly taking drugs.
Magic mushrooms, which are classified as a drug in South Korea, are sold in Canada, and illegal hallucinogenic substances such as drug-laced candy are sold mainly in sex shops in some Southeast Asian countries.
For this reason, citizens are accepting anonymous drug testing favorably. A 25-year-old woman named Kim, who lives in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "Drugs are spreading in Korea, but the food I eat is safe.
"It seems difficult to tell if someone has been exposed to drugs," he said. "I would unconditionally take an anonymous test if I was worried about being exposed to drugs." Yoon (26), who traveled to New Zealand in January this year,
"I was at festivals and strangers were handing out free drinks and I didn't know what was in them," he said, recalling, "I heard there were party drugs in them and I was worried."
Yoon said, "In the evening, beer was distributed among the travelers at the inn, but he never drank the drink he was given," and added, "I was worried that he might have taken drugs after returning home."
"It was a very difficult situation," he said. Experts also agreed with the need for anonymous testing, saying that the public is at high risk of being involuntarily exposed to drugs.
Professor Kim Young-ho of the department said, "Anonymous drug testing is meaningful in that it allows the state to manage the health of people who take drugs involuntarily or who come into contact with drugs impulsively out of curiosity."
"In Korea, even simple drug use is punishable, so it is difficult to prove involuntary drug use, and people tend to avoid getting tested," he said. "Even if people get anonymous testing, it doesn't lead to punishment."
"We need to fully publicize this and focus on treating drug addiction like we would a chronic illness," he added.
2024/07/25 07:19 KST
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