[Drug-Addicted Korea]② "Dietamin Daelgu"... SNS Turned into a 'Drug' Marketplace

294 Youth Drug Offenders Arrested Last Year
Obtained Narcotic Medicines via SNS Proxy Purchases
Exposed to Narcotics Due to Excessive Dieting and Curiosity
"Systematic Education Needed from Early Age"

"ㄷㅇㅌㅁ(Dietamin) proxy purchase available." This is a typical introduction by drug dealers easily found on the social networking service (SNS) Twitter. Dietamin, also known as the 'butterfly drug,' is a narcotic-type appetite suppressant that dealers have prescribed in large quantities under their own names and sell to teenagers at a profit. When contacted directly, a quick response was received. Asked if there was a purchase limit, he replied, "I prepare 30 pills, which takes about a week, but there is no limit."

According to the National Police Agency on the 15th, 294 teenagers were arrested last year for violating the Narcotics Control Act. The number of teenage offenders under the Narcotics Control Act was 104 in 2018, increased to 241 in 2020, and reached 309 in 2021. The police explain that with the activation of SNS and chat applications due to COVID-19, the number of teenagers accessing narcotics and narcotic pharmaceuticals through these channels has surged. According to the Narcotics Control Act, not only narcotics but also narcotic pharmaceuticals cannot be prescribed or consumed by teenagers under 16 years old.

The reason teenagers access narcotic drugs is for excessive dieting or to enhance study concentration. As the so-called 'Bbemalrajok' trend spreads on SNS, some teenagers have even turned to narcotic appetite suppressants. Bbemalrajok refers to teenagers who admire excessively thin body types and lose weight. Searching for Bbemalrajok on SNS revealed many cases relying on drugs like Dietamin. The ingredient phentermine in Dietamin stimulates the central nervous system and increases dopamine secretion. Excessive dopamine causes arousal, insomnia, auditory hallucinations, and in severe cases, hallucinations.

Professor Yeom Geon-ung of the Department of Police and Fire Administration at U1 University explained, "Most teenagers encounter narcotic drugs out of curiosity and the desire to imitate people they admire," adding, "Even adults find it hard to restrain themselves, so teenagers who experience rapid diet effects and arousal states are more prone to addiction."

Teenagers Share Dietamin Prescription Methods... Purchase and Distribution of Narcotic Pharmaceuticals via SNS

Social networking services (SNS) served as a marketplace for proxy purchasing of narcotic drugs. People obtained narcotic appetite suppressants like Dietamin without a doctor's prescription through direct transactions. Photo by Twitter

Nevertheless, teenagers easily share ways to obtain drugs and evade the law. In online communities, high school students in their teens boast without suspicion that they can get prescriptions for Dietamin and Concerta from hospitals. Concerta is a psychotropic drug used to treat ADHD and can cause an arousal state as a side effect.

It is possible to obtain narcotic pharmaceuticals without going through hospitals. This is because of SNS and chat applications. On the 6th, the Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul booked A (14) without detention on charges of purchasing and using narcotics through a chat application. A obtained narcotics in a residential area of Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, using the 'throwing' method. The throwing method refers to a transaction where the seller hides the narcotics at a location without meeting the buyer, who then picks them up.

Teenagers also distribute narcotic pharmaceuticals directly through SNS. In June last year, the Gyeongnam Police Agency arrested 59 people for violating the Narcotics Control Act for buying and selling Dietamin via SNS. Among them, 46 were aged 13 to 18. The sellers were found to have visited hospitals in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk provinces to accumulate Dietamin under their own or others' names. Buyers testified to the police that they obtained Dietamin through SNS because they thought they could not get prescriptions at hospitals.

Park Young-deok, director of the Korea Drug Eradication Movement Headquarters, emphasized, "Currently, the way media depicts drugs focuses on arousing curiosity, making it easy for teenagers to be misled," and added, "Systematic education is needed to teach children and teenagers that drugs and narcotics destroy lives and must never be touched."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.