Comparison of illegal drug use pattern in Taiwan and Korea from 2006 to 2014
Ling‐yi Feng, Wenjing Yu, Wei-Ting Chang, Eunyoung Han, Heesun Chung, Jih‐heng Li
Substance Abuse Treatment Prevention and Policy September 23, 2016 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-016-0078-x via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAlthough methamphetamine remains a problem, new psychoactive substances (NPS) have become an emerging issue in both Taiwan and South Korea, though their patterns differ. Taiwan seizes much larger quantities of NPS, particularly ketamine, despite having far fewer controlled NPS items than Korea. These differences suggest the NPS come from different sources. Factors beyond geographical proximity, including drug policy and drug availability and accessibility, help explain the current status of illegal drug use in the two countries.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Comparative analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Taiwan and South Korea |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Heroin Environmental health Methamphetamine Business |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key finding | NPS patterns differ between Taiwan and Korea, with Taiwan seizing larger quantities of NPS (especially ketamine) despite fewer controlled items, indicating different sources and the influence of drug policy and accessibility. |
Abstract
While the problem of methamphetamine still lingers, NPS have emerged as a new issue in both countries. However, the NPS pattern was different between Taiwan and Korea. Although the controlled NPS items in Taiwan were far less than those in Korea, the quantity of total NPS seizures, especially with ketamine, was much larger in Taiwan than in Korea. Different NPS pattern may also imply they were from different sources. Factors other than geographical proximity, such as drug policy and availability and accessibility to drugs, should be taken into account for the current status of illegal drug use in Korea and Taiwan.