Half of the Nation Says "Youth Drug Prevention Education Must Be Strengthened"

According to the survey results on 'Improving Drug Prevention Education for Adolescents,' half of the public believes that drug prevention education for adolescents should be strengthened.

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) announced the results of a survey on 'Improving Drug Prevention Education for Adolescents' on the 24th at a briefing held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The survey was conducted from the 10th to the 19th of last month on the National Opinion Platform, targeting a total of 3,674 people, including 2,333 national panel members and 1,341 general citizens.

According to the survey, about 88.5% (3,250 people) of respondents answered that the current risk of adolescent drug exposure is serious (including very serious). Among the methods to prevent adolescent drug exposure, the most common opinion, at 50%, was that drug prevention education for adolescents should be strengthened, followed by calls for stricter punishment for adolescent drug crimes.

Regarding ways to strengthen drug prevention education, 91.4% (3,359 people) expressed the opinion that separate drug prevention education is needed in elementary, middle, and high schools, rather than combined education with drinking and smoking. Additionally, 95.3% (3,502 people) agreed that drug prevention education should be mandatory for out-of-school adolescents. Other suggestions included the introduction of a drug prevention education completion system, including drug-related questions in midterm, final, and college entrance exams, and field experiences at drug-related institutions.

Kim Taegyu, Vice Chairman of the ACRC, stated, "The survey results confirm that the public perceives the seriousness of the current adolescent drug situation as very severe," adding, "Protecting adolescents from drugs is protecting our future generations, and it requires the government's full-scale response. Therefore, we plan to prepare necessary institutional improvement measures for the current situation as soon as possible."

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