(123rf)
(123rf)

Three out of 10 Gyeonggi Province residents say they have used either prescribed or illegal psychoactive drugs, officials reported Tuesday.

A survey by the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly of 1,591 residents found that 30.7 percent of respondents reported having used such substances, primarily prescription medications.

The most commonly used substances included propofol, reported by 16 percent of respondents; sedatives such as diazepam and zolpidem, used by 7.7 percent, and antitussive medications like Luminal and Rubikin, used by 6.9 percent. The provincial council noted that a significant portion of these cases involved therapeutic use.

Among the respondents, 56 admitted to using illegal drugs. With multiple choices allowed, LSD was the most used, at 67.4 percent, followed by marijuana at 66.7 percent and ecstasy or MDMA at 49.2 percent.

Nearly half of those who used illegal drugs reported being exposed to them before their 30s. As for why they first tried drugs, 27.9 percent cited curiosity, while 23 percent used drugs for weight loss and 16.4 percent cited social pressure.

While 96.4 percent of Gyeonggi residents acknowledged the serious dangers of drug use, 56.9 percent said they had “never heard of” addiction treatment and protection hospitals and 48.5 percent expressed a lack of awareness about drug rehabilitation centers.

The survey was conducted to address the increasing concentration of drug-related crimes in the greater Seoul area, where half of all domestic drug offenders are reported.

Jung Kyung-ja, a member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, said the results would guide policy directions, emphasizing the need for a swift response to the significant rise in drug-related crimes over the past year.


Joanne0901@heraldcorp.com