Journal of the Society of Disaster Information ISSN:1976-2208(Print) 2671-5287(Online) 한국재난정보학회논문집

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the new drugs that recently have shown rapid increase and provide solutions to eradicate them. Method: This study used the relevant preceding studies, statistics, and overseas materials to identify the new drug problems and suggest solutions. Result: Compared to the past, the numbers of criminals detected for the administration, distribution, and production of drugs are rapidly increasing. According to the statistical data on drugs in 2021, the number of drug-related cases decreased compared to the previous year. However, there are concerns because the amount of detected drugs increased more than three times, and the age group of drug-related criminals are getting younger. Such results are largely affected by the spread of new drugs. In particular, it is deemed to be affected by the spread of new drugs, such as fentanyl, yaba, khat, kratom, etc., as well as the new psychoactive drugs and hemp-related materials. Conclusion: In response to spread of new drugs, this study suggests simplifying the temporary classification of drugs, enforcing control of foreign drug users, strengthening the cooperation with relevant institutions, such as Korea Customs Service and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and intensifying the punishment on the drug users in order to strengthen the countermeasure against the new drugs.