|
Asia:
South
Korea
to
Institute
Treatment
for
Drug
Offenders
4/15/2005
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/382/southkorea.shtml
The South Korean Ministry
of Health and Welfare and the ruling Uri Party agreed April 8 to allow
courts to impose drug treatment when handing down suspended sentences for
drug offenders, the Korea Times reported. The agreement in principle
comes some three months after the health ministry unveiled its plan to
revise the country's drug laws to allow for court-ordered drug treatment.
To go into effect, the proposals must be approved by the South Korean parliament,
something that should happen within a year, the Times reported.
Under the proposal, courts
would be able to order "drug addicts" into either in-patient or out-patient
treatment for up to one year when sentencing them to a suspended jail sentence.
The central and local governments would pay all costs. Probation
officers would be able to either warn or detain probationers if they believe
they are using drugs and would also have the authority to cancel the suspended
sentence and return "serious violators" to prison.
Drug abuse is not a large
problem in South Korea, a nation of nearly 50 million that had fewer than
7,000 drug arrests last year, of which 4,000 were for personal use, according
to the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office. In its annual
survey of global drug law enforcement, the US State Department found
that "Narcotics production or abuse is not a major problem in the Republic
of Korea," although it noted an increase in the use of "club drugs" among
urban youth. Methamphetamine has also been a longtime Korean favorite.
Under current Republic of
Korea law and practice, convicted drug offenders currently get prison time
in many cases. Government officials are using the terminology of
"helping drug addicts" and "rehabilitation" to describe the latest proposed
intervention into the lives of nonviolent drug users.
-- END --
|
Issue #382
-- 4/15/2005
Editorial:
A
Moral
Fog
|
Feature:
Chill
Over
Pain
Management
Deepens
as
Leading
Specialist
is
Sentenced
to
25
Years
in
Prison
|
Feature:
New
Reform
Group
Targets
Colorado
Campuses
with
Referendums
to
Equalize
Marijuana
and
Alcohol
Violation
Penalties
|
Feature:
Prison
Rape:
The
Stories
Need
to
Be
Told
|
DRCNet
Book
Review:
Orgies
of
the
Hemp
Eaters
|
Weekly:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cops
Stories
|
Harm
Reduction:
San
Francisco
Ordinance
Allowing
Syringe
Sales
without
Prescription
Now
in
Effect
|
Meth
Madness:
Illinois
Bill
to
Heighten
Methamphetamine
Penalties
Moving
|
Medical
Marijuana:
South
Dakota
Initiative
Getting
Under
Way
|
Africa:
Ugandan
Farmers
Call
for
Marijuana
Legalization
|
Asia:
Thailand
Drug
War,
Part
III
|
Asia:
Police
in
Ho
Chi
Minh
City
Detain
650
in
Nightclub
Drug
Sweep
|
Asia:
South
Korea
to
Institute
Treatment
for
Drug
Offenders
|
Asia:
Afghan
Opium
Eradication
Campaign
Off
to
Violent
Start
|
Congress:
How
Did
Your
US
Representative
Vote
on
Medical
Marijuana
Last
Year?
|
Alert:
Please
Help
Students
Losing
Financial
Aid
for
College
Because
of
Drug
Convictions
Get
Their
Aid
Back
--
Alerts
Online
for
the
House,
Senate,
and
Arizona
and
Rhode
Island
Legislatures
|
Weekly:
This
Week
in
History
|
Online:
Audio
Web
Chat
with
Dr.
Andrew
Weil
|
Job
Listing:
Deputy
Director
of
National
Affairs,
Drug
Policy
Alliance
|
Weekly:
The
Reformer's
Calendar
|
|
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