Wastewater tests suggest widespread meth use, rising cocaine consumption

Social Affairs

Published: 30 May. 2024, 15:32 Updated: 30 May. 2024, 15:32

Wastewater tests suggest widespread meth use, rising cocaine consumption

[KIM JI-YOON]

Traces of methamphetamine were found in every wastewater treatment plant surveyed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety over the past four years.

Estimates based on the trace amounts suggest that roughly 52,000 people use methamphetamines each day.

In its latest findings announced Wednesday, the ministry detected methamphetamine traces at all 57 sewage treatment plants in nine provinces and eight major cities last year.

Since 2020, the ministry has conducted tests on wastewater treatment plants, supervised by Prof. Oh Jeong-eun of Pusan National University’s Department of Environmental Engineering.

Researchers collect samples of untreated sewage quarterly to analyze the presence of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine, within the community.

They tested 57 treatment plants in 2020, 37 in 2021, 44 in 2022 and 57 again in 2023.

Thirty-four of the plants were surveyed all four years, with each one testing positive for methamphetamine every time.

The estimated average daily consumption of methamphetamine per 1,000 people gradually decreased from 24.16 milligrams in 2020 to 14.40 milligrams in 2023.

The ministry official estimated that one in 10,000 people consume the drug every day based on a 20-milligram dose.

“Simply calculated, that's 52,000 people using meth every day,” the official said.

Conversely, the estimated average amount of cocaine used daily per 1,000 people showed an upward trend in the same period.

Daily average cocaine use nationwide rose from an estimated 0.37 milligrams in 2020 to 1.43 milligrams in 2023.

While cocaine is most prevalent in the Seoul area, traces were identified in Sejong for the first time last year, with the estimated amount surpassing 15 milligrams.

Despite the increase, estimated cocaine usage in Korea pales in comparison to Europe, the United States and Australia, where cocaine usage stood at 353.90 milligrams in 2023, 1,800 milligrams in 2022 and 610 milligrams in 2022, respectively.

The map is divided into 17 cities and provinces, and the colors in a flag represent which drugs were identified in the region's wastewater treatment plants since 2020. The orange color represents methamphetamine, green amphetamine, yellow ecstasy and blue cocaine. [THE MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]

By region, Gyeonggi’s Sihwa and Incheon led the nation in estimated methamphetamine use, while Cheongju and Gwangju topped the list for estimated amphetamine use.

Gyeonggi’s Sihwa and Mokpo posted the highest levels of ecstasy, while Seoul’s Nanji and Sejong had the highest levels of cocaine.

The ministry expressed concern about the increasing diversity of drugs, including the growing use of cocaine, and emphasized the need for expanding infrastructure and support for national drug education, treatment and rehabilitation to address the dangers and social costs of drug addiction.

“Considering the results of recent surveys of people’s experiences using drugs and the undisclosed rate of drug-related crime, we can guess that illegal drug use is already prevalent in our society,” said Lee Hyang-ee, head of the Daegu branch of the Korean Association Against Drug Abuse.

Three out of 100 Koreans say they have used illegal drugs, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety last year to ascertain Korean perceptions of drug use.

The ministry said Korea is not a drug-free nation and plans to work with investigative agencies, including the Korea Customs Service and the Korean National Police Agency, to prevent the entry of illicit drugs into Korea.

"We also aim to strengthen the social safety net by focusing on drug prevention and social rehabilitation."

The ministry will analyze frequently detected substances, including substitutes, to recognize new drugs.

Additionally, the ministry will collaborate with local governments’ health and environmental researchers to analyze drugs detected in wastewater treatment plants more efficiently.

BY CHO MOONG-GYU, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]