Raise the budget for treating drug addiction

The government must come up with a practical solution for the war on drugs.

Drug offenders were at their largest-ever number, 18,395, last year. The Yoon Seok Yeol administration proclaimed a war on drugs early this year, and the amount of seized drugs reached 329 kilograms (725 pounds), up 39 percent from a year earlier. The average confiscated amount per case exceeded 1 kilogram for the first time, at 1,015 grams, suggesting that drug offenders are getting bolder.

The rampant use and abuse of drugs at hospitals is a bigger problem. Some doctors are handing out drugs like drug dealers. According to a report by the JoongAng Ilbo, one clinic issued 2,369 prescriptions of propofol last year, tripling 735 presciptions in 2021.

The clinic invited patients for illegal injections, offering to leave beds open, according to testimonies. As many as 259 hospitals and clinics were caught abusing illegal drugs over the last three years. Criminals in the medical profession nearly doubled over the last four years.

Meanwhile, Incheon Chamsarang Hospital, which has the largest inpatient treatment facility in Korea, is shuttering. Of 421 inpatients in residential treatment facilities, 97 percent were cared for by either the hospital (276) or Bugok National Hospital (134) in South Gyeongsang. Although patients must wait many months to enter, core long-term treatment and rehab infrastructure is on the brink of extinction.

The hospital is shutting down due to serious management woes. Government-backed inpatient treatment facilities in principle must offer free treatments for up to one year. The central and local governments shared a total budget of 820 million won ($612,000) for the subsidization of these facilities this year, which can cover a one-month treatment for just 165 patients. Incheon Chamsarang cares for over 400 patients, including those who still need treatment.

Some local governments have no budget set aside for such facilities, which means they are neglecting care and rehab for drug addicts. Many of them are in a management crisis because they do not get the subsidy from the central government on time. The Gangnam Eulji Medical Center treated half of the drug-related patients in 2018, but the deferred payment reached 300 million won by the year’s end. It received the payment only in 2020 and dropped itself out of the inpatient drug rehab category.

The government has frozen the budget for the treatment and rehab centers instead of increasing it to 2.4 billion won next year, as promised. Treatment and rehab centers are crucial for drug addicts, as the crime repeat ratio is 36 percent, higher than 11.7 percent for violence and other crimes. Crackdowns are important. But addicts who wish to divorce with the habit must be able to get treated in time. The government must come up with a practical solution for the war on drugs.