SEOUL: A report from the National Forensic Service (NFS) of South Korea reveals a concerning increase in the use of synthetic cannabis among teenagers, now comprising 35 percent of all drug analysis requests in the country. The rise is particularly notable in the form of e-cigarettes, with increasing instances of polysubstance use among individuals in their 20s and 30s.
In 2024, synthetic drugs accounted for 34.9 percent of illegal substances identified in confiscated items, a dramatic rise from just 9.7 percent in 2019. Synthetic cannabis and synthetic analogs of ketamine were the most frequently found new psychoactive substances, making up 15.2 percent and 10.1 percent of the total, respectively. Together, these substances represented more than two-thirds of the synthetic drugs seized.
The NFS noted that out of 5,650 confiscated items of synthetic cannabis in 2024, a staggering 3,868 were in liquid form. Among these, 1,262 were discovered in e-cigarette cartridges, while 2,606 resembled e-liquids used for vaping. This similarity has made it increasingly difficult to identify synthetic cannabis as illicit drugs.
“Due to the rise of synthetic cannabis being distributed to look like e-liquids used in e-cigarettes, it has become especially challenging to recognize them as drugs,” the NFS stated in a press release on May 25.
In addition to synthetic cannabis, methamphetamine and marijuana were also frequently detected. Methamphetamine constituted 47.7 percent of the drugs confiscated by the NFS, with marijuana accounting for 12.1 percent. The highest number of methamphetamine users were found among those in their 30s, totaling 5,754 cases, followed closely by users in their 20s, who numbered 5,550. Notably, there were 213 cases involving teenagers.
The total number of drug analysis cases submitted to the NFS reached 120,703 in 2024, marking a threefold increase from approximately 43,000 cases in 2018. This data indicates a growing trend in drug use and distribution in South Korea.
The NFS emphasized that drug enforcement efforts in 2024 have shifted focus toward targeting drug distributors rather than users. The number of analyses conducted on seized items increased by 12 percent, while there were notable declines in urine tests (17 percent) and hair follicle tests (15 percent) conducted on suspected drug users. This shift suggests a strategic change in how authorities are addressing drug-related issues in the country.
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