Fentanyl patch, a powerful narcotic analgesic, has become popular among teenagers, raising social concerns.

Teenagers’ use of medical narcotics, including fentanyl patches, has been increasing in recent years.
Teenagers’ use of medical narcotics, including fentanyl patches, has been increasing in recent years.

The drug, used normally to treat patients with end-stage cancer, is about 100 times stronger than morphine and can be dangerous if used for non-medical purposes. Tolerance and addiction develop very quickly, possibly leading to death due to the risk of overdose and reduced respiratory function.

Despite such dangers, teenagers have recently started receiving illegal prescriptions using a loophole where some hospitals and clinics prescribe the narcotic drug without checking their identity or past medical history.

Teenagers reportedly take the drug by heating the patch after putting it on a tin foil and inhaling the fumes. The drug has already gained popularity among some teenagers. South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency's narcotics division recently arrested 42 teenagers for illegally purchasing and using the fentanyl patch.

According to the police agency, the teenagers could easily purchase the patch by complaining back pain, although the medicine is an ethical drug, purchasable only with a prescription from a hospital.

The teenagers reportedly said they got addicted to the drug after they started using the drug out of curiosity. The police have confirmed that although the teenagers realized that the fentanyl patch was a drug, they did not believe it would lead to big problems as the patch is legal when bought with a prescription.

The police agency stressed that the phenomenon where teenagers use fentanyl patches as narcotics may be a problem nationwide as one of the students arrested had commented that he had started using the patch after learning how to administer drugs from an acquaintance living in the Seoul metro region.

Although fentanyl use among teens is rapidly increasing as they also can purchase the patch through online and social media platforms, the educational community is slow in responding.

The education materials on substance abuse emphasize the danger of smoking cigarettes and alcohol consumption, but provide little, if any, information on hard narcotics, such as hemp, fentanyl, or heroin.

Some teachers said they recognized the need to include such drugs in education material but are afraid to do so as it could stimulate students’ curiosity, leading them to try the drug.

"It is similar with the recent controversy over sex education in schools," a teacher at a middle school in Seoul said. "When the sex education standard was first proposed, there was a lot of opposition. We are cautious about including such drugs in education materials."

Lack of education, information on drug abuse

In contrast, others complained there is too little information on new drugs.

"We can't even figure out if our students are using them as we don't know what they look or smell like," a teacher working at a high school in Gyeonggi Province said. "For example, I heard a story where a teacher confiscated rolled-up cigarettes from students but later found out that they were cannabis."

The number of teenage drug offenders has been increasing sharply, from 69 in 2017 to 241 in 2020.

An expert stressed that the benefits of education outweighs its possible negative aspects.

"It is true that, in recent years, consultations and requests on medical drugs such as hemp and fentanyl are increasing," said Lee Han-duk, director of the Korean Association Against Drug Abuse's drug rehabilitation center. "The problem with medical drugs seems to be getting worse, and that explains why society should teach teenagers about the dangers of drug use."

Lee pointed out that narcotics, including medical drugs, are very powerful substances that act on the brain.

"Adolescents are inevitably more susceptible to these substances because their brains are still in the growing stage," he said. "It is vital to conduct prevention activities for teenagers."

In reality, however, the Korean society generally thinks that there is no big problem with drugs and pays little attention to its prevention, Lee noted.

"Even if schools say that they are making an effort for preventing narcotics use among teenagers, the society still lacks awareness of such narcotics," he said. "The government revised school health law and urged schools to take measures to prevent abuse and abuse of narcotics in June of last year, but the progress is too slow and insufficient."

Lee acknowledged that teachers can't be familiar with all narcotics available for purchase as there are so many of them.

"However, it is necessary to know which narcotics is currently an issue," he said. "Students should receive regular education through from teachers or external experts."

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