It is generally believed that the more a society becomes industrialized and urbanized, the more it suffers from narcotic and drug-related crimes that are committed by a desire to escape from the society. Korea is on exception. Although the behavior of...
It is generally believed that the more a society becomes industrialized and urbanized, the more it suffers from narcotic and drug-related crimes that are committed by a desire to escape from the society. Korea is on exception. Although the behavior of drug abuse itself does not result in direct victims, those who abuse drugs suffer from physical and psychological destruction. Also there exists a possibility of a secondary criminal act committed in a state of mental disorder like hallucination. Furthermore, drug abuse may lead to hedonism or decadent cultures prevalent across the society.
As juvenile drug abuse has become a major part of social problems, this study focuses on the realities of drug abuse, analyze its causes, and find out related problems so that we may come up with effective and consistent preventive measures.
Chapter 2 touches upon the definitions of drugs and their theoretical background. In general, drugs refer to narcotics, hemp and mentality-related medicines. Drugs most frequently used by juveniles include stimulants, cough remedies, nervous sedatives (sleeping pills), inhalants (bond, butan gas), hemp, narcotics (morphine, heroine), hiroppon, etc. Theoretical background divides into psychological and social causes.
Chapter 3 studies the motives and realities of juvenile drug abuse. The three major motives of juvenile drug abuse are personal, family-functional, social motives. Juveniles are easily influenced by their friends. In order to maintain friendship or out of curiosity, they first try tobacco and alcohol then move to drugsin the end.
The study made a research on the age of first use, times and place of usage, place of purchase, the source of expenditures, number of companions, motives, experience of delinquency. This research was made by drug and by the level of the schools including elementary, middle, and high schools. Symptoms of drug abuse, behavior after drug intake, and the cases of juvenile drug abuse are also included in the study.
Chapter 4,5 deals with measures to prevent juvenile drug abuse. These include prevention at home, prevention in the school, and prevention in the community. Policy measures tackling juvenile drug abuse are also presented in this chapter as follows:
▶ The demand and supply of drugs and their distribution system should be tightly controlled bylaws and regulations.
▶ Noxiousness of drug abuse should be educated through active campaigns across the nation.
▶ Diverse programs and audio-visual materials for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse should be developed and distributed to schools and juvenile-related institutions.
▶ Institutional devices should be worked out for an efficient treatment and rehabilitation of drug users.
Chapter 6 summarizes the discussions made in this study. The present writer believes that juvenile drug abuse should be prevented with employment of all measures possible, and to our relief, the realities of juvenile drug use in this country has not yet reached to the point of serious abuse or toxication.
In conclusion, our society should break away from the old practices of reiteraing the serious problems of juvenile drug abuse and instead put more emphasis on the establishment of policy measures to deter and lesson juvenile drug abuse. And these policy measures should be made in a professional and systematic way.